Killer Love
by unleashthewaters93
Summary: When Nathan Hodges moves to Las Vegas, he starts a relationship with Nick. But soon Nathan's past catches up to him and he will have to face his demons once again. Will he succeed? contains slash/violence/language Nick/OC


**AN: I know I have a few fan fiction stories I need to finish and I will, but this idea came to me and I was going to start it earlier but I went on holiday and thought I would start it now before I went to university. This is going to be a Nick/OC story as I thought he needed a new love interest and I think Nick is the best character on CSI. Anyway, my OC is a guy called Nathan Hodges and yes, he is related is David Hodges as they are brothers, he attends Las Vegas University, already knows Wendy, Sara, Al, Catherine, Brass and Greg, he has an ex-boyfriend called Brett Hauser who he dated back when he was in school and dumped him as he got drunk and beat him up. He meets Nick and knows he'll feel safe with him and they eventually end up together. Nate usually gets dragged into the lab at late hours to help with cases when they are short on lab technicians and eventually moves in with Nick when Brett comes to Las Vegas looking for him. On several occasions, Brett kidnaps Nate to prove that they belong together and Nick has to go and save him with the rest of the crime lab. Anyway, this first part is the prologue and is in third person, but throughout the rest of the story, it will be in Nathan's point of view. Here is a summary so you have an idea of what the story is about.**

**Summary: Nathan Hodges came to Las Vegas in order to escape his nightmarish past, so he enrolled at Las Vegas University to start a new life away from his hometown. He decides to live with his brother, David Hodges and his girlfriend Wendy Sims, so he has someone to keep him company. When he arrives at the lab one day to say hello to Brass, Sara, Catherine, Al and Greg, he is introduced to Dr Ray Langston and Nick Stokes. Once Nick sees him, he begins to develop feelings for the troubled young brother and the two eventually start a relationship. Unfortunately, Nate's past catches up to him when ex-boyfriend Brett Hauser arrives in Las Vegas, looking for the guy who placed him behind bars to exact revenge. When Nick finds out about Nate's recent memories, he promises to do everything possible to make sure Brett stays as far away from him as possible. But when Brett kidnaps Nate and threatens to kill him one way or another, Nick and the team are pushed to their limits to rescue Nate and stop Brett once and for all. **

**I have decided to name the fan fiction after the song by Nicole Scherzinger as it seems appropriate for the story itself. I won't be able to post it on Fan Fiction straight away as my internet is down due to a lightning storm that happened when I was on holiday. This takes place after Warrick dies, so he's not it, very sorry for all the Warrick fans. It is also set after Ray kills Nate Haskell and stayed with the team after the ordeal. The originals, Sara, Catherine, Nick, Greg, Al Roberts, Brass, Wendy, Vartan and Hodges are in it including Mandy, Archie, Dave, Henry and Grissom will be in it, but not very much. And I have put Ray in it too as I thought Lawrence Fishburne was a brilliant choice for the cast. I didn't put Riley in it as she was too boring for my taste and never really fitted into the show and I put Sofia in certain chapters as I always liked her. Also, Catherine and Vartan are together, as are Sara and Grissom. So, without further ado, let's begin Nick's new adventure. **

**Disclaimer: I only claim ownership of Nathan Hodges. I don't own anything CSI related. All characters and events belong to Anthony E Zuiker.**

Prologue

_He knew his past would catch up to him. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he put everyone around him in danger because of his recklessness and stupidity. Why didn't he make sure that Brett was behind bars for good? Now, because of him, all of his friends and family at the Las Vegas Crime Lab would feel his wrath and make sure that they wouldn't see him again. Nathan Hodges knew that Brett Hauser would arrive sooner or later to try and win him back and finish what he started. However, Nick Stokes was determined to keep Nathan safe, even if he died himself. Now Nick was in a worst case scenario situation as Brett had kidnapped Nathan and was holding him hostage in his Vegas mansion. He would have gone in and taken Brett down if it hadn't been for Brass' orders not to go in until the SWAT team had arrived to back them up. Now Nick was going to have to wait until they turned up, as ETA was at least quarter of an hour and he had a feeling that by the time they got here, Nate would be dead. What Nick didn't know was that Nathan was putting up a fight and was determined to stay alive as long as possible; making sure that Brett would not harm him any more and Nick would get to see him again. And Nathan was determined to make sure he was safe again in Nick's arms._

_When it was evident that Nathan was dead for sure, Nick started to make his way towards the house, but Captain Jim Brass stopped him. "Nick, we can't go in until SWAT has arrived."_

_Nick turned to him and eyed him angrily. "I don't give a damn about SWAT, Jim. Nate's in there and he could be lying dead for all I know. I've got to help him, whether you like it or not," he replied and made his way back to the house. Just then, something crashed onto one of the police cars, smashing the windscreen in the process and sending everyone into cover. Nick looked over and his heart lurched, thinking it was Nathan. But when the CSI took a good look at the body, he saw that it was none other than the nut job himself, Brett Hauser. Nick sighed with relief, happy and shocked that Nate had managed to overpower the six foot tall man, but was proud that he had managed to rid himself of his past. That was when Nick noticed two stab wounds in his abdomen, indicating Nathan must have defended himself to the last minute. Nick looked up towards the balcony and saw Nate's head looking over the railing. Nick went into the house, gun drawn in case there was someone else there too, and up to the room with the balcony. When he looked through the broken glass doors, his heart skipped a beat. Nathan was standing at the railing, looking down onto the driveway and holding a piece of broken glass. One end was covered in blood, indicating he stabbed Brett probably seconds before he plunged over the balcony. Nick put his gun away, sure that there wasn't anyone else in the house, and stepped through the doors. Glass crunched under his boots as he carefully made his way towards Nathan, concerned he would scare him further after his horrific ordeal. Nick was relieved Nathan was unharmed, until he saw the blood seeping through the leg of his jeans. Nick looked around again and saw more blood on a very large piece of glass, indicating it had sliced him when he was likely thrown through the balcony doors. Tears started forming in his eyes at everything that had happened to him. "Nate?" he asked carefully, making sure he didn't scare him further. "Nate, I'm here now, everything's going to be okay. I'm going to make sure you get medical attention." Nick held back the tears, but knew he would break down sooner or later._

_He heard Nathan breath heavily and then started to sob. He dropped the broken piece of glass he had used to defend himself and sunk to his knees, Nick mirroring his moves. The CSI wrapped one of his arms around the younger man and pulled him into him, placing the other hand on his head. Nathan instinctively held onto the arm that was wrapped around his body, afraid it would slip away and laid his head on Nick's chest. "I did it, Nick," Nathan sobbed into the CSI's vest. "I killed him." Nathan then let the tears falls, staining Nick's vest and started crying quietly._

_Nick rested his chin on Nate's head and he too started to tear. "Yeah, you did it Nate. You killed him. He's gone for good. I'm so proud of you," Nick stated through his sobs. The pair just sat on the balcony floor, listening to the commotion coming from the police radios from below on the driveway, and held each other to make sure they weren't separated again._

_Nathan broke the silence between them first. "Nick, I'm free at last, aren't I?" he asked, quietly._

_Nick nodded and more tears fell into his hair. "Yes Nathan, you're free at last. He can't hurt you anymore. He's never coming back," he replied and kissed the top of his head, making Nathan smile while the tears still fell. After another few minutes, Nick decided to go down to the waiting medics that would have arrived on scene. The CSI stood up and brought Nathan with him, but the younger man suddenly buckled due to his injury. Nathan looked at him apologetically, but Nick just smiled. "I got ya," he said and picked him up, placing one arm under his knees and the other around his waist. Nathan automatically wrapped his arms around Nick's neck and laid his head against his chest again. Seeing Nathan was back safe in his arms once more, Nick headed back through the house and outside to the waiting paramedics._

**AN: There we go, ladies and gentlemen, the prologue of my story. It just explains briefly what happens during one of the later chapters. It may have a few spoilers, but I wanted to show you what you will be expecting. When I wrote this, I actually felt that Nick would be like this if it happened on one of the episodes. That's what I love about Nick: he is really caring and he can be emotional too. I just pictured this in my head when I was writing it and it seemed really good as mental images. Like I said, that was in third person and explains things briefly about what happened when Brett kidnapped Nathan the third time and how determined Nick was to rescue him, even going as far as defying Brass. As I said before, I won't be putting it up until my internet starts working again, which will hopefully be soon. As soon as my internet is up and running again, I will post this straight away and work on it depending on the amount of reviews it gets. **

**I will be writing the first proper chapter straight away because this story will be good. I don't know if you will like it, but I'm trying my best with it. Anyway, please read and review and criticism is welcome too. Like I said, my internet fucked up due that stupid thunder storm on Monday and now I can't get on. But once I can, this will be up there, ready to be read and reviewed. The rest of the story will be in Nate's POV, so you don't get confused about it. It will get more emotional throughout each chapter, depending on the amount of violence and disturbing things that I write in each chapter. Also, whenever Nick and Nathan have sex, I will be writing it in full detail, so if you don't like it, don't read it. I guess that's it, so until next time, enjoy 'Killer Love'. **

Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone, welcome to the very first chapter of 'Killer Love'. I hope you enjoyed the prologue and if I gave away any spoilers, I am sorry but it was a taster for what is to come and how violent Nathan's past is, I suppose you could say. In this chapter, you will learn a lot about Nathan and what he thinks of his brother and his colleagues who work with him at the crime lab. Throughout the story, it details about Nate's past, why he came to Vegas and what he is doing at university. It will also show how emotionally shaken he is, how paranoid he is that Brett is following him and how he copes with it. It is also in Nate's POV and I know I've mentioned that a couple of times, but I just want to remind you so you don't get confused. I don't want to keep you guys any longer, so without further ado, here is chapter one.**

**Disclaimer: I only claim ownership of Nathan Hodges. I don't own anything CSI related. All events and characters belong to Anthony E Zuiker.**

"_The captain would like to announce that we are touching down at Las Vegas International Airport. The temperature is a blazing 30 degrees Celsius and the weather for the week will be hot and dry, so make sure to stay hydrated throughout your stay. Please remain seated until the plane has come to a complete stopped before collecting your carry on luggage. Thank you_," the air hostess's voice buzzed through the intercom noisily as I looked out the window at Las Vegas. From my window seat, I could see the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Great Pyramid. I knew they weren't real, but it was nice to see them in one place. Oh, by the way, my name is Nathan Hodges or Nate for short. My brother is the David Hodges, one of the least respected lab technicians at the Las Vegas crime lab. I am 21 with short brown hair, green eyes and I am just short of 5"7' tall. Now, you're probably wondering the same question most of my friends and brother are wondering too: why am I moving to Las Vegas, you ask? Well, let's just say that I want to forget my old life and start fresh somewhere new. Why, I hear you ask again? Well, for one thing, I'm gay and there are a _lot _of homophobic people back in my hometown. I broke up with the star quarterback, Brett Hauser, shortly before I moved. Again, you're asking why and I have the answers you seek. At just past six feet tall and built with muscles that would put Superman to shame, Brett was also hot but deadly. Brett likes to have many parties at his place and invited me along one night. However, he got _too_ drunk and started pushing me around and hitting me like I was a piñata. Eventually, it became too much, so my parents called the police. He kept insisting that it was the alcohol that did it and I always gave him another chance. But when it became more frequent, the police arrested him, much to his disliking. He said that I was going to regret it and no-one else was going to stand by me. He even threatened me, saying that if he ever got out of prison, he would hunt me down and kill me. Naturally, I didn't believe it, but when these weird letters and death threats started arriving; my parents packed my bags and shipped me off to live with my brother in Las Vegas. They also enrolled me at Las Vegas University, which I would start next week, so it would give me a chance to catch up with everyone at the lab and get to know my surroundings. So, here I am three months, six weeks and twelve days later on a plane to Las Vegas International Airport. Once the plane touched down, I collected my shoulder bag and two cases from the terminal and headed outside to wait for my brother. I spotted him at once, as he was holding a giant sign, saying "Welcome to Las Vegas, Nathan". This caused my face to go red and my expression to change. I wish I could go somewhere without David embarrassing me for once. That is all I ask for, but no, he has to do it. However, my mood softened when I saw that Wendy Sims was with him. Wendy was like a big sister to me and was always supportive of me, even when David was annoying or embarrassing or both, like he was being now.

I walked over to them and was immediately engulfed in a hug by Wendy. "Nathan, I've missed you _so_ much," she said, drawing out the 'so' as she went.

I smiled and leaned into the embrace. "Same here, Wendy. I'm so glad to be here with you and douche bag over there," I said, motioning to my brother.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but smiled just the same. "Hey there, little brother, have a good flight?" he asked as we bumped fists.

I groaned and wheeled my suitcases to the car, which David politely put in for me. "Yes and no, on account of I got a window seat, but I had to sit next to this jackass who wouldn't stop either yammering on his phone or typing on his laptop. I swear, I would have broken his neck if he had done it all the flight," I replied and got into the back of the car.

While my brother was putting my cases in the boot, Wendy turned around in her seat in the front. "You have no idea how boring it has been since you left. Catherine has been making us work like mad to put these criminals behind bars. But, on the plus side, Sara came back and we have a new member: Dr Raymond Langston."

At the mention of his name, I looked up. "_The_ Raymond Langston?" I asked, perplexed. She nodded her reply and smiled at me. "He is, like, the best scientist to have ever lived. He is even more amazing than Ghandi himself."

David then got in the car, started the engine and drove away. "Well, everyone is excited to see you again, especially Sara and Greg. If Grissom were here, he would like you too, but he isn't. Then again, Dr Langston will think you are interesting in your own way," he told me and that made me warm up inside. David never usually tells me things like that, but when he does, it's always the right things.

"Are you sure you guys don't mind taking me in? I could just sleep at the dorms on campus," I asked and they both shook their heads.

"Absolutely not, you are part of the CSI family and we would have dragged you through the door, regardless," Wendy replied and looked at me in the rear-view mirror.

I looked back and rolled my eyes. Wendy would have bought me a whole house for my own, let alone let me bunk with them. Since they had got together, Wendy and David were even more amazing put together than they were separately. Although, come to think of it, I had never seen a better pairing than back when Grissom and Sara hooked up. "Thank you both, all the same. I really am grateful that you would take me in."

David snorted and laughed. "Little brother, you are not living in any dorms on any campus while there is a perfectly good, free bed not even ten minutes away. Plus, you get free room and board and even free meals too. But the hot water has been going funny, so just let it heat up for a couple of hours before you have one," he explained.

"Thanks, Hodges, you are more mature since you hooked up with Wendy," I said and giggled at his expression. Whenever I call my brother 'Hodges'; he usually takes it as a compliment and a way of me saying 'I love you'.

After an hour of driving, my brother pulled up outside the house and cut the engine. "Welcome to Casa de Hodges, Nate," he said and I scoffed. While he went to get my cases out of the boot, I grabbed my shoulder bag and followed Wendy through the front door after she had unlocked and opened it. It was a cosy little house, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fully stocked kitchen, courtesy of Wendy herself.

She turned to look at me and smiled. "So, is it to your liking?" she asked and eagerly awaited my reply.

I looked around the house and back to her, before replying with, "Do you have any air conditioning?"

She sighed and laughed, walking over to a box on the wall and hitting a switch. Suddenly, a blast of cold air came out of the ceiling and I soaked it up. "Yes, Hodges had it installed for your arrival. Said it would help since you overheat far too quickly," she said. "Oh, your room is the third door on the left, after you get up the stairs," she told me and went to help my brother with the cases, which he had been struggling with and cursing for the past five minutes.

I walked up the stairs and entered the door which Wendy had said was my room. I was astonished with what they had done to it. Three of the four walls were painted a light blue while the other was black, the ceiling was a silvery colour and the carpet was a dark blue. The bed itself was a king-sized double bed with a white bottom sheet, blue cover sheet and a black quilt cover. The pillows also had black covers on them too. The wooden furniture had a brown oak finish on them and the lights had black shades on them. "Not bad, David, not bad at all," I murmured and hung my jacket up on the hook behind my door and dumped my bag by my bed. I kicked off my trainers and lay down on the bed. I jumped back up and opened the window, to try to cool my room off while I was out. It might not do much, but I can certainly try.

Just then, I heard Wendy and Hodges thumping up the stairs with my cases. Wendy came in first with the smaller cases and David came in with the larger one. "Typical, my brother makes himself at home while we lug his luggage around," he wheezed and rolled the case over to the far wall, near my wardrobe.

Wendy smacked him around the back of the head and placed my other case with the bigger one. "David, your brother is a guest and as such, we _should _be getting his cases," she defended me, jut like a proper sister.

Hodges raised his hands in defence and sat on the bed. "So, is the room okay for you?" he asked.

I nodded and looked around again. "It's perfect, just how I wanted it to be. Thank you again guys, for everything," I said and this time, they both embraced me.

They pulled out of the hug and headed for the door. "I think we'll have a quick snack and then we'll take you to see everyone else, alright?" Wendy asked and I nodded enthusiastically. She smiled, patted my cheek and walked out the room, followed by Hodges.

I heard their footfalls on the stairs gradually grown fainter until they were gone. I spotted another door and guessed it must be the bathroom, which it was. It was just a shower, but I didn't mind. "I'll have one before we go, then I'm fresh for them all," I said to myself and grabbed my toiletries and went into the shower. I turned it on, but remembered what my brother said. Luckily, it was relatively warm, so they must have let it heat up before they picked me up. I stripped off my clothes, grabbed my body wash and stepped inside. I let the water cascade down me, releasing all the energy and stiffness I had built up on the plane over here. I then washed myself, wash my hair and got out. I was drying myself off when my brother called up the stairs that the food was ready. I finished drying myself, put my Linkin Park t-shirt, jeans, boxers and socks back on, along with my assorted bracelets and bangles, and headed downstairs.

I went into the kitchen and immediately spotted a plate of nachos, some salad and two jugs of juice on the island. I sat down on one of the stools placed around it. My brother looked up and noticed my wet hair. "Was the water alright?" he asked as he shoved a handful of nachos into his mouth, cheese and salsa dip falling onto his plate.

I grimaced at him and nodded my head. "Yeah, it was quite warm actually. Did you let it warm up before you picked me up at the airport?"

Wendy placed a plate in front of me as I helped myself to some salad and a glass of juice. "Yeah, we thought it would be ready in case you wanted one when you got here," she replied and sat down too, piling salad, nachos and salsa onto her plate. She looked over at my brother and rolled her eyes. "Hodges, at least _try_ to keep the food in your mouth, if not actually do it," she told him like she was telling off a child.

He looked at her with cheese dripping from his chin, swallowed whatever food he had in his mouth and wiped his chin with the back of his hand. "I am, but the cheese won't stay in my mouth," he replied smugly at her.

"Wont, David, or you just don't want it too?" I retorted and smacked a high-five with Wendy under the table. "You are the same here as you were back home, always letting food hang out of your mouth and mum and dad telling you off for it," I said, remembering when my brother used to do it back home. I chewed on my salad, occasionally taking a drink of juice to wash it down.

David just glared me and placed another handful of nachos in his mouth, making sure no cheese dripped off his chin so Wendy would tell him off again. I think I know who wore the pants in this relationship. "You always were a smartass, weren't you Nathan?" he asked and smirked.

I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed some nachos, putting them on my plate. "Not always, but only when the occasion calls for it," I replied and look at him. I could tell from his expression that I had won this conversation, and he knew it too. "But, on this occasion, I think I'll let it slide, just this once." From then on, Wendy and David kept telling me about what had happened since I was last in Vegas. They told me about how Sara was kidnapped and left, her and Grissom got married, Nick was buried alive and almost eaten by ants, Greg was beat up after saving someone's life, Brass was shot in the line of duty, but survived, a new CSI called Riley joined the team, but left not too long after, citing poor leadership as the problem which was a load of bull and Warrick, who I always liked because of his hard-ass attitude, was shot by a crooked police officer and died. That upset me as Warrick was my favourite person alongside Catherine and Greg. Finally, they told me how Grissom had hired Dr Raymond Langston to take over the team when he left and how everyone got on with him.

Soon, we had eaten everything that had been set out and David went to wash the plates, leaving me and Wendy alone. "You'll like Ray, Nathan. Only because he'll like you and you'll also get to meet Nick as you haven't met him before, have you?" she asked and I shook my head. I had heard of Nick Stokes, but never actually seen him in person. From the descriptions that everyone had given me, it seemed like Nick was a nice person. I was told he was about six foot two, taller than Brett, built bigger than Brett with muscles to spare due to the fact he came from Texas and spent his childhood playing American football, worked out whenever he had time and was dedicated to his work. He also had strong facial features, a caring and emotional nature, dark brown hair, same as mine and dark green eyes, also the same colour as mine. It was like I was made from him, well the eyes and the hair mostly.

I tried picturing him in my head and kept trying to remember what he looked like from brief glances of some photos of him that Catherine and Greg had shown me, because whenever I went to the lab on my last visit here, he was either on a case or off duty. "Well, I look forward to meeting them at some point. I like the sound of Nick, you know, strong, handsome caring. Nothing like my ex," I said and my mind wandered back to Brett and his attitude. Sure Brett was nice and sweet, but he was also a monster underneath. I shuddered at what he had said to me before the cops hauled him off to jail: _"You'll regret this, Nathan. You can't live without me. No-one else will be around to stand by you. As soon as I get out of jail, I'm coming for you. And you and I will be together forever. Even if it is in death!"_

Wendy placed her hand on mine, brining me back to the present. "Hey, Brett was a jerk and you deserved better anyway. As long as he's in jail and you're here, everyone at the lab will be standing by you for as long as you need," she said and smiled. Wendy and Hodges were the first two people I had come out to and were always supportive of me. When I had told everyone else, they were also supportive of me too. As soon as they had accepted that, I knew that from then on, they would be my friends for life.

"Thanks Wendy, you were always good at keeping me in check," I told her and squeezed her hand.

"What about me?" asked a very glum looking David from the sink. He had finished drying the plates and must have heard the last of our conversation.

I laughed at his expression and nodded. "You have been there for me too, David, and you always will be. I know you will." He smiled and we bumped fists again.

Wendy smiled at our closeness and patted both of our hands. "If you are finished bonding again, shall we go and see everyone else?"

I nodded again, ran upstairs to get my jacket and practically flung myself downstairs again. "I'm ready and raring to go. I can't wait to see everyone again. It's been _far _too long since we hung out together or had a night out. We gotta do that sometime, you know, so I can catch up with everyone."

David nodded as we walked out the door and headed to the car, Wendy locking up the house in the process. "And everyone is excited to meet you again. They kept asking me when you were arriving almost everyday until I told them when you were arriving. After that, they were all excited for your arrival and hoped you would pop by to say hello," Hodges told me as we got into the car and I smiled in gratitude.

Wendy got into the car, put her seatbelt on and Hodges drove off. "Greg, Henry, Archie and Dave want to play on Call of Duty with ya for definite, Mandy, Catherine and Sara want to just spend time with you, Brass and Al may wanna quiz you on your knowledge of criminology and finally, Ray might want to check you out for any unknown diseases. Don't worry, it's just his own way of saying hello," Wendy said and I nodded again, feeling a warm and fuzzy sensation inside me that everyone was excited to see me again. I couldn't wait until we got to the lab.

Along the way, David and Wendy told me more stories that everyone got up to, like how Ray got wound up being the target of serial killer Nate Haskell and killed him after he kidnapped Langston's ex-wife. I made a mental note not to piss him off too much and returned to listening to the pair talk about the adventures and crimes in the lab. We arrived at the lab, got out of the car and walked through the doors. As soon as we entered, I could feel the cool air blowing through the vents, indicating the air conditioner was on, most likely due to the blistering heat. If I was here, I too would want the air con on. See, if I overheat too quickly, I faint and it could cause minor damage to my body. Mostly me breaking out in a rash or big, bulbous spots, which is not a pretty sight, let me tell you.

I was broken out of my reverie by a familiar voice than sounded less-than-pleased with someone. I would be surprised if Catherine was yelling at Conrad Ecklie, as most of the people here tend to. "Look, I don't care if we can't get a warrant for his house, but at least allow us a warrant for the damn car, Conrad." I was right: Ecklie was feeling her wrath. And Catherine Willow's wrath is nothing to find amusing. I remembered her well, mostly because her daughter, Lindsey, kept telling me about her. Yeah, Lindsey Willows and I are good friends, but she probably wouldn't remember me from the last time we met. Then again, she might, but who knows. I tuned back to the 'conversation' Catherine was having with Ecklie until she stopped in front of us, with her back turned to the door. "Look, Ecklie, the guy is obviously guilty about something, but if it isn't the murder, then we can set him on his way. Thank you, Conrad; the warrant is going to good use." She ended the call and turned around, a smile breaking across her face when she saw me. "Nathan, you're finally here," she cried and engulfed me in a hug.

I returned the gesture and smiled too. "Yeah, I'm finally here so all of you can stop worrying and crying," I said and pulled away to look at her.

She placed a hand on my cheek and kissed my forehead. "Oh, look at you, all grown up and starting anew. How does it feel to have a criminal out of your life?" she asked and pulled me towards one of the labs, while David and Wendy headed off to most likely help with their current case. "It must be a relief to have a huge problem off of your back. Hopefully Brett will remain behind bars for a while or until you erase your past for good."

We sat down on the stool and I nodded. "Yeah, kicking that asshole out of my life was the best decision I ever made. I was stupid and reckless in giving him a second chance whenever he insisted he didn't mean it. I knew I would put myself in further danger by doing it, but I guess I was blinded by him," I told her and sighed.

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again. Or at least get someone who will treat you like Wendy and Hodges do," another familiar voice said and two arms circled around me from behind. "Everyone is here for you Nathan. Never forget that."

I nodded and placed my hands on her hands. "I won't, and I never will, Sara Sidle," I said and looked up into her bright face, giggling at her huge smile.

She hugged me as best as she could and nestled her cheek into my hair. "So happy you're here again and congratulations on starting fresh," she said and kissed my hair before going to stand and confer with Catherine about the case.

"Well, well, well, the prodigal brother finally returns." I turned and saw Greg, Mandy, Archie and Henry standing in the doorway.

I shook my head and let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a scoff. Mandy came over to hug me too, while I slapped high fives with Henry and Archie and pounded my fist with Greg. "I can't believe you're all taking time out from the case to welcome me back. Catherine isn't doing a good job of keeping you busy, is she?" I said and looked at her. She looked at me and gave a wink.

"When you have time, fancy taking coming over and taking me, Archie and Henry on at Call of Duty?" Greg asked with hope in his voice.

I smiled and nodded, knowing I couldn't say no to Call of Duty. "Sure, but be warned, I've been practising so I may kick your asses. Both figuratively and literally, I don't know," I replied. After catching up with everyone for five minutes, I needed to relieve myself. "If you'll excuse me, I need to empty my bowel. Where's the bathroom?" I asked and Archie pointed it out to me. I followed his directions, went in, used a stall, washed my hands and exited. I walked back to the lab and I rounded the corner, only to crash into someone coming in the other direction, causing pieces of paper to go scattering all over the floor. We both immediately started gathering them up.

"Oh, I am really sorry. I guess I shouldn't have been reading this file and should have paid attention to where I was going," a strong male voice said and I could definitely hear a Texan accent.

I shook my head and laughed. "No, I was in a rush to get back to seeing my friends," I told him and gathered up the last of the papers. When I looked up, my breath caught in my throat. I was staring into green eyes. Solid green eyes that belong to none other than the very person I was hoping to meet sooner or later: Nick Stokes.

**AN: Well, there we go everybody. Nathan has finally met Nick and it seems like he is speechless. This chapter was mostly describing his relationship with his brother and Wendy and the rest of the lab, but you'll get to know more about that in the next chapter. The next chapter will also reveal what Nathan's thought about Nick include and what he thinks of Nick altogether. Well, please read and review, let me know what you think. Until next time, enjoy this chapter. **

Chapter 2

**AN: Welcome to chapter two of 'Killer Love', the chapter where Nate will finally reveal what he thinks of Nick. I hope you've been enjoying reading it as much as I have writing it. In this chapter, Nate will start to become friends with Nick and how much he cares for him and Nate will also get to meet Ray. You will also find about Nathan thoughts and feelings on Nick and how they have more in common than either of them thinks they do. If this chapter isn't as good as you think it would be, let me know as my mind might go blank. So, I guess that's it, so here's chapter two.**

**Disclaimer: I only claim ownership of Nathan Hodges. I don't own anything CSI related. All characters and events belong to Anthony E Zuiker.**

As I looked into those eyes, I realised that Nick was that more attractive than everyone else described him to be. His face looked as though it was carved out of stone, his hair was arranged neatly, the muscles under his shirt were protruding most obviously and I swear, I thought I could see his chest muscles through the fabric. Overall, Nick Stokes could definitely take Brett Hauser any day. And Nick used to play football too, so there was another thing that he could beat Brett at easily. Just then, he smiled at me and that set me off. If he could charm girls easily with that smile, he was certainly charming me easily too. "Hey, I'm Nick Stokes, CSI Level 3," he said and shook my hand. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Nathan, Nathan Hodges," I told him as we both stood up. I guess the part about him being six foot two was right, because when we stood up, he was definitely a good few inches taller than me and I had to look up at him when I spoke with him.

When I told him my name, his expression changed from a smile to a look of disappointment. "Don't say you're related to David Hodges, please. I would feel sorry for you if you were," he said and smiled that amazing smile again. Seriously, why does he have to do that?

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, that's my brother. Although I keep asking myself which one of us is actually from this planet? Hopefully, it's me," I replied and laughed, causing Nick to laugh too. I handed him the rest of the papers he dropped and when our hands touched briefly, I felt a tinge of electrical energy. I think Nick did too because when we looked back at each other, it was like there a spark between us and we both felt it. I pulled my hand back and smiled sheepishly again. "Well, I finally met you, Nick and you are like how everyone described you," I told him and he smiled again, this time a warm friendly smile. "I think you may wanna get back to whatever it is you're working on and I don't want Catherine to tell you off. Nice meeting you again, Nick."

"Same here, Nathan, same here," he replied and gave a brief nod of his head.

I walked past him and continued back to the lab, but took one last look at him. He gave a short wave, smiled once more and turned around the corner. I leaned against the wall and stared at the spot that that Adonis had previously occupied. _'Nick Stokes is so handsome. They were right about him: he is perfect in every possible way. Not even one minor flaw or fault. I think I'm going to like being here.'_ I thought, smiled once more and headed back to where everyone was. I walked in, much more cheerful than I was before I left and Greg, Wendy and Sara seemed to notice.

"What's up with you? You look like you seen something amazing," Sara commented and went back to examining something under a microscope.

I sat on one of the high stools and looked at her. "Not something, some_one_. But not just any someone," I told them.

All three looked at me for a while before Wendy spoke up. "Well, are you going to tell us?"

"I just literally ran into Nick Stokes. Guys, everything you said about him is true. Wendy, he _is_ built better than Brett. Greg, his smile _is_ one-of-a-kind and Sara, he _is_ really good looking," I explained and they all seemed stunned by my words. "What, was it something I said?"

They all nodded at me. Greg spoke up next. "Nathan, on a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest," he said.

"Well, obviously," I retorted.

Greg ignored my comment and continued. "Like I said before, on a one to ten scale, how handsome do you think Nick is?" he finished, eyeing me carefully.

I looked at him, then and Wendy and finally, Sara. "Do you want my honest opinion?" I asked and they nodded. I took a deep breath and I knew I was gonna regret saying it. "Honestly, he's off the chart," I answered truthfully. Surprisingly, I didn't regret saying it as it was the honest truth about what I thought of Nick Stokes.

Greg turned to the girls and smiled ruefully. "Hand it over," was all he said and both Wendy and Sara each produced a ten dollar bill and handed them to Greg.

I looked at him shocked and motioned to the money in his hand. "Were you having a bet on me or something?" I asked. Only one day here and I'm already being dragged into money schemes.

Wendy sighed heavily and looked through the eyepieces of the microscope. "Greg bet ten bucks that you would answer his question with that answer. We said you wouldn't and now, we lost ten bucks each."

"We should have known never to bet against both you _and _him," Sara put in, looking cheated but smiling nonetheless.

I shook my head in disgust and flung a pen lid at Greg. "You really have the nerve to do something like this, don't you? My first day here and you're already roping me into your smuggling schemes. Greg Sanders, you are impossible," I told him and he smirked.

He went back to examining something with a magnifying glass, looking for what must be trace evidence. "Well, Nathan, you'll have to get used to as you will probably be in the middle of most of my schemes." My mouth dropped open at this. I was appalled Greg would do this to me. I knew I regretted answering his question about how hot Nick was. But how was I supposed to know that they had placed a bet on me? It's a good job Greg is smart, otherwise the lab would be on technician short.

Just then I heard Catherine's voice and another male voice, which must belong to none other than Dr Raymond Langston. "Well, here is the specimen that you requested to see, Ray. Nathan Hodges, may I introduce you to Dr Ray Langston," Catherine said as soon as they entered the lab I was currently sitting in.

Dr Ray was quite tall, with jet black hair, dark skin and thick glasses, indicating he took his role seriously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nathan. Your brother has told me a lot about you and your reputation proceeds you, even if I do say so myself," Dr Ray told me as we shook hands.

"No, it is _me_ who has the pleasure of meeting _you_, Dr Ray. I have been a fan of your work for a long time and you are my all time favourite psychologist. You're even more amazing than Ghandi was," I explained and smiled the goofiest smile I had smiled.

He seemed to take my comment as a compliment and let go of my hand. "Well, I must say it's always nice to have a fan. Did you read my latest book?" he asked as though it would burst out of him if he didn't ask it.

I smiled and nodded at him. "Yeah and it was really good. I never knew that people were like that. Oh, actually I do," I said and looked at the ground, remembering Brett.

Dr Ray placed his hand on my shoulder and I looked up at his face. "Your horrific and violent past is exactly that. Brett Hauser is away for good and you are safe here where he cannot harm you. We are all here to make sure you remain safe and are kept away from him." I guess my brother told him about my ex-boyfriend and his abusive ways.

"Thank you, Dr Ray," I replied.

He smiled down at me. "Please, just call me Ray or Dr Langston. Unless you want to call me Dr Ray that is?" he asked and I nodded yes.

"I prefer to call you that, Dr Ray," I told him and he nodded.

"Then I grant you permission to call me 'Dr Ray'. Well, we gotta get back to work team. Very nice to meet you, Nathan and I would like to take this moment to welcome you to Las Vegas." With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the lab.

I just stared at the door for what seemed like ages until I could speak again. "He is more amazing than I imagined he would be," I said, causing Catherine, Sara, Wendy and Greg to laugh. "What, it's true. He is better than what you made him out to be."

"Hey Catherine, I got some results from Hodges regarding the case." That voice made my heart rate speed up and the blood to collect in my face. That Texan accent was recognisable a mile off. Greg noticed this and laughed quietly, causing me to kick him under the table. I must have hit him as he winced in pain and started to rub his knee. I grinned at him and he scowled at me. "Hodges says the blood in the car is a match to the victim and the fingerprint belongs to the suspect. Now, I would say it's a coincidence, but-". He stopped in the middle of his sentence when he spotted me. "Well, if it isn't my little crash buddy. Fancy seeing you here," he said and smiled again. Oh god, why does everytime he smile, it sends my heart pumping faster than the speed of light? I guess I was starting to develop feelings for Nick. Wait, what did I just say? Oh god, my brother is going to go berserk.

He stood there looking at me, as did the other four, so I breathed and smiled again at him. "Hey again, Nick, I just met Dr Ray. He _is_ an interesting person. He said I was specimen or something. Can you believe it?" There I was, babbling again. Why can't I just speak normal human instead of weirdo human for once?

This didn't seem to bother him as he just laughed and nodded his head at me. "Well, Dr Ray will tend to think of as a specimen because you're new here but once you are here for a while, he'll become one of the greatest allies you could have," Nick explained and I just nodded, unable to move my lips. I heard Greg holding back a snigger, so I kicked him again. This time, he cried out and all heads turned to him. "Oh, silly Greg bashed his knee on the table. You gotta be more careful, Sanders. Don't wanna be sitting at home in pain, do ya?" I said and stuck my tongue out at him, causing him to scowl at me a second time and then he turned back to his analysing.

Nick shook his head and turned to Catherine. "Like I was saying, the blood is the victim's and the prints our suspect, but it could be a coincidence that they are even related."

Catherine put on a pair of glasses and took the file from Nick. While she was looking over it, he leaned against the doorframe and winked at me, causing me to turn a deep red colour. I turned to the table and Greg was smirking again. I raised my hand as if to hit him and he hid behind Sara. Coward, I thought to myself. Sara saw my raised hand and smile at me, knowing I would do it too. I turned back to look at Nick and he was standing there was a smile on his lips. He probably saw my almost-violent outbreak against Greg. He turned his attention to Catherine again when she spoke to him. "Well, like you say, it could be a coincidence that they _are_ even related to each other. But then again, they could be. You need to find out what the answer is. Take Greg and Sara with you," she said.

My head shot up when she had said Greg's name. I looked at him and he had his back turned to me. Oh god, he's gonna tell Nick I like him. Oh, this will ruin me. I'll have to move back home and endure the wrath of my ex. On the other hand, that is more suicidal than this is at the moment. I looked up and Nick was heading out the door, but he caught my eye, winked one more time and left, followed closely by Catherine and Sara. Greg was about to leave too, but I caught him by the arm and looked at him, my eyes narrowed. "If you even _think_ about telling Nick I like him, I _will_ destroy you. And not on Call of Duty either," I hissed at him angrily.

He just smiled at me and took my hand off his arm. "Dear sweet, little, naïve Nathan. You're paranoid about me. I wouldn't dare tell. Not after the bruising you gave my knee earlier," he explained and I smirked.

"Yeah, but if you _do_ tell him, that knee will have to be amputated when I'm done with it," I told him and grinned as innocently as I could. Greg shook his head and walk out of the lab. I then started to freak out and turned back to Wendy and all the questions came tumbling out, one after another. "Oh god, do you think he'll tell? What if he does? Do you think Nick will be embarrassed? Will he be angry or upset or annoyed that I like him? What do you think my brother would say and do? Wendy, what do I do?" I put my head in my hands and tried to breathe evenly.

She seemed to just look at me, probably overwhelmed by all the questions I had thrown at her. She blinked a few times and composed herself. "Look, even if Greg _does_ tell him, Nick will probably brush it off and say you're adorable for liking him in that way. Even I noticed it, especially the way your heart seemed to race whenever he winked or smiled at you. Don't worry Nathan, Nick is a great guy and if you two don't become a couple, he'll become your best friend," she explained and I looked at her relieved.

'_Nick Stokes as a friend? That would be just as good. That way, I won't do anything stupid or anything that would embarrass us both. And it also means I can be around him without being embarrassed or nervous. Then again, it could end in disaster. So this outcome has positives and negatives. Well, I'll see this plays out,'_ I thought to myself. "OK, I guess that being friends wouldn't hurt, right?"

Wendy nodded and turned back to the microscope. "Yeah, that's better than nothing, isn't it? Even if Nick doesn't reciprocate the same feelings that you have for him, you and he will become great friends."

Something inside of me seemed to click into place at her words. Even if Nick didn't like me the way I liked him, then we could become great friends and this would maybe be the first proper step in my new life. I mean, we were already talking quite normally now, so if we kept hanging out with each other, we could become great friends, like Wendy said. But there was one question burning on my mind since I met him earlier this morning. "Wendy, how is it that Nick's smile is more charming than him in general? I mean, what is up with it?" I asked her.

She wrote something down and looked up at me from the microscope. "Nick's smile is an interesting subject. Even he doesn't know how it works himself. Whenever we tell him, he says it has a mind of its own," she said and I rolled my eyes at her statement.

"I doubt that, highly," I replied. "Besides, if the girls are charmed easily by it, I certainly was." It was true. The first time he flashed that smile, my heart rate went into overdrive, my blood pumped faster than it ever did and my brain was clouded over in seconds. The effect that smile has on a person is unbelievable. Just look at me. Everytime Nick enters the same room as me, my speech becomes jumbled, confused and, in a more understandable sense, retarded. But I couldn't help it. Nick Stokes made Brett Hauser look like Peter Parker before he became Spider-man. And that is something that I have never called Brett before. It just proves the effect that he has over me. I bet you if Nick commanded me to do something, I would without hesitation. I would probably follow him to the ends of the Earth too, if he wanted me to, that is. Quite quickly and without any warning, my eyes started to feel heavy. I don't know whether it was the Las Vegas heat or how I had hardly any sleep on the plane over here, but I rested my arms on the table, my head on my arms and fell asleep.

I don't know long past, maybe a few hours at the most, before I felt someone shaking my shoulder and a familiar voice whisper in my ear, "Nathan, wake up, I think Hodges and Wendy are ready to go."

My eyes immediately shot open. Not at what the voice _said_, but at _who_ the voice belonged to. The Texan accent gave it away. My eyes quickly met the eyes of none other than Nick Stokes. I pretended to be rubbing my eyes as not to give away the fact that my heart was going into the dangerous red zone, like it always did when he was here. "Hey, what time is it?" I asked sleepily. I didn't need to put that one as I _was_ still tired.

Nick looked down at his watch, studied it for a moment and looked back at me. "It is 12: 35 in the morning," he replied and smiled again.

Seriously, stop doing that or I'll blurt out how I feel for you, I screamed internally. Inside of saying what I actually wanted to say, I returned the smile and hopped off the stool I had been sitting on for however long it was. "Well, thanks for waking me. I didn't want them to leave without me," I said and laughed, causing him to laugh too.

"Well, if they did leave ya, I would have given up some of my time to drive you there myself. I know where he lives, so it wouldn't have been a problem," he said and patted my shoulder.

When he did that, I just wanted to jump on him and kiss him passionately, but I reframed from doing that as I just wanted him to be my friend first and then see where it goes from there. "Wow, you're a real gentlemen you know that. How many girls have said no to that before?" I joked and walked past him.

"Well, not many if I'm honest. I haven't had time for one. Because everytime I meet someone, something awful happens to someone else I care about," he explained with a hint of sadness in his voice.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to look at him. "You have _never_ had a proper girlfriend before? Oh, Nick, I'm sorry if that was a sore subject," I said and nearly cried right then and there. Poor Nick, strong and tough on the outside, but soft and vulnerable on the inside. "Have you ever thought about dating a dude? That way, not much harm befalls someone else?" I asked as joke and to my surprise, he laughed.

He shook his head and looked at me. "You're different from you brother. You're funnier and more loveable than he is. I think we're gonna get along just fine Nathan," he told me and I could feel my heart screaming to burst through my chest.

I smiled and nodded at him. "I think we'll get along too, Nick. And call me Nate, please, I would prefer it," I told him and he nodded.

"Alright then, Nate it is," he said as I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

I raised one of my fingers to excuse myself and open the message that had been sent. It was from my brother and when I read it, I was going to kill him when I got home. The message read:

_If you're still at the lab, and I know who you're with, we left about five minutes ago. We're sorry, but you were still asleep and we didn't want to bother you. Sorry if this has angered you._

_See you at home,_

_Hodges _

Now I was _definitely_ going to kill him when I got home. I sighed with exasperation and turned around. Nick seemed to be finishing up and I had to ask him. "Hey Nick, are you leaving now?" I asked and he nodded. I had to; otherwise I would have no other way of getting home. "You still got that ride you mentioned earlier. My brother left and now I have no way of getting home."

Nick smiled at me and laughed. "Hodges better pray for holy retribution tonight. But yeah, I can give you that ride. Let me just finish up here and I'll meet you outside, okay?"

I nodded and walked out of the lab, saying goodnight to Catherine, Sara, Greg and Mandy along the way. I walked out through the entrance into the cool night air and breathed it in deeply. It felt good to have cool nights and hot days as it worked out well. It seemed to be twelve hours of heat and then twelve hours of cold air rushing through the window. I spotted a bench nearby and went and sat down on it, leaning my head back and closing my eyes, embracing the cool rushes air that past over my face. As I sat there in the night air, I thought back to what Wendy had said about Nick only being my friend. Don't get me wrong, we were getting along really well, but I wanted to be more with Nick. I know I just broke up with Brett a few weeks before I came here, but with Nick, it was like he would never hurt me if we got together. It was like he would protect me and keep me safe for as long as I needed. I felt like I could trust him, even though I've only known him for a day nearly. And that seemed to be his most noticeable trait. Nick Stokes seemed like the kind and caring type, someone who was not afraid to let his emotions show. When Wendy and David told about the time he got buried alive, they said that was scared out of his mind and Grissom was the only person who could calm him down. I would be too if I was buried underground, with little hope of being rescued. It must have been awful for him, being trapped in a glass box, no way of escape, being eaten alive by fire ants. But he was alive, he was safe and he was free. A bit like me, if I'm honest. We were both confined to things we feared, until we were rescued and could finally live in peace. I looked up and saw Nick coming out of the lab, looking for me. I waved my hand for a bit until he spotted me and walked over to me. I stood up and started walking towards him, but my foot caught on something and I flew forward. I closed my eyes and waited to impact with the concrete, but I didn't. Instead, when I opened my eyes, I saw that Nick must have pitched forward and caught me before I cracked a bone in my body as his arms were wrapped around my waist. I just stared at him, momentarily stunned by his breath-taking eyes. When I was this close, I could see why people liked Nick. Those eyes just screamed 'guardian angel'. I laughed a little bit and smiled. "Nice reflexes, Texas," I commented.

He smiled at me in return and my heart just stopped for what seemed like a whole second. A whole heart stopping, blood pumping faster-than-the-speed-of-light second. "Well, I _did_ play football back in my home town, so it answers how I caught you so fast. It was like you were the ball and it was about to land in the hands of a player from the other team. So I sprinted, caught before you did and scored a touchdown."

Wow, now _that_ was an analogy. "Thanks, I've never been compared to a game of football before. Well, not like that anyway," I joked and laughed, trying to hide the fact that my heart was almost smacking him in the face when he mentioned the touchdown part of the sentence. "Anyway, you can let go now. If you want to, that is," I added quickly, hoping he wouldn't. He started to unfurl his arms, disappointing me, but kept one wrapped around my waist, lightening my mood again.

He saw my expression and smiled again, guiding the way to his car. "Don't want you falling over again, do we?" he joked and I pushed him in the side with my free hand. "Besides, it would be a great shame as I was having fun bumping into you. I wanna get to know more about you, too."

I looked up instantly and my heart just literally leapt outside my rib-cage. I gulped nervously and I could feel myself shaking with joy. I quickly composed myself and smiled at him. "And I was hoping to get to know more about you, Nick. Like, if you always compare everything to a game of football?" I smirked.

We got to his car and he opened the door for me. "No, not everything, but only events that involve brothers almost tripping over their feet," he replied and I feigned a laugh. I got into the passenger seat and he closed the door. He made his way around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat, put the key into the ignition and started the car. I put my seatbelt on and he mirrored me before putting the car in gear and drove out of the parking lot. The first minutes of the journey were quiet, which was how I wanted it. I needed a few minutes to reassure myself that I wasn't going to wake up tomorrow morning and realise that this was all a dream. But at the moment, it felt as real the smile on Nick's face. Even though I had the window of Nick's SUV rolled down, it was still warm out tonight, so I unzipped my jacket and opened it up.

I was staring out of the window, when I heard Nick's voice ask, in utter surprise, "You like Linkin Park?"

I snapped back to reality and looked down at my t-shirt. It was only then I realised I didn't bother changing and had thrown the clothes I wore on the plane back on after my shower. "Yeah, they are, like, the best rock band ever. Their songs are totally bad-ass. Why did you wanna know?"

He then looked at me, smiled, and said in that strong Texan accent I had been hearing from him all day, "Because I like them too."

It was like a bomb had just gone off in my body. It seemed that that smile activated it and those five little words had detonated it straight away. Every little thing outside seemed to just become white noise in the background and it was only me and Nick that mattered at the present moment. I cared about nothing else but what had just happened not minutes ago, what Nick had said to me about Linkin Park. I kept replaying the words in my head over and over again, trying to convince myself that what had happened in the last few minutes _wasn't_ a dream. But when Nick had spoken those words, it seemed like my world had just been revealed by a giant spotlight and was now complete. The five words that had connected us together would be safely stored in my head for all eternity: _"Because I like them too_._"_ I must have been gaping at him for a while now, so I recomposed myself and looked out the window again. After another minute, I turned to him and spoke. "I never would have taken you for a Linkin Park fan. I thought you would have been into country/western music. Something that reminds you of your hometown, you know." I can see that was probably a stupid thing to say as I thought he would think I am most definitely retarded or take some sort of offence to it.

But, instead of looking at me like I was crazy, his laughed at my outburst and that made me sigh with relief. "No, I'm not _that_ bad when it comes to listening to music. Besides, Greg made me listen to them when they first came out and I really liked them. I have all their albums back at my apartment, I have only been to two of their concerts when they've been in town and I went with Greg to both and, finally, I have a lot of their merchandise. Mostly signed photos, posters and a few t-shirts, one that is exactly the one you're wearing, in fact," he explained and motioned to my shirt.

I looked down at it and took it in for a moment. The shirt itself was black, with the band name and trademark logo on it, with the title of one of my favourite songs of theirs, _Waiting for the _End, at the bottom. I remembered on the back it had the dates of their last tour on it and I had managed to score three tickets for it, taking my best friend Sian and her older brother Reed with me and we all enjoyed it. We were singing along to every song, screaming like crazy every now and then and just plain rocking out and having fun. The reason I didn't take Brett was because I wanted at least one night away from him, so when I asked Sian and her brother and told them about me not asking Brett, they grabbed their tickets and hid them in case Brett was lurking about. This was when he kept getting drunk and abusing me. Luckily, Sian and Reed got me out of that party and took me back to their house for the night and looked after me. After what seemed like years, I finally looked at him and smiled. "Only two concerts in your whole life? Dude, you gotta get out more, have a _normal_ life for once," I said and we both started laughing.

He looked at me like I was on something and shook his head with disbelief. "After listening to me pouring my heart out about how I like, all you can do is mock me because I've only been to two concerts. How many have you been too, then?" he asked, thinking he had won this battle.

Boy was he wrong. "I've been to _all_ of their concerts," I replied and smirked triumphantly.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled at me in return. "I can see I have lost this battle, for now," he exclaimed and I started laughing like an idiot.

Just then, their latest and my new favourite song, _Iridescent_, came onto the radio. "Oh, turn it up, I love this one," I said and Nick increased the volume. I sat there, looking out of the window and singing the lyrics quietly to myself before I heard Nick start to sing too. We looked at each other, smiled and then burst our vocal chords on the chorus. For the rest of the ride home, we sang with the windows down, the volume up high and singing loudly like two people who were returning from one of their concerts. When the song came to an end, Nick stopped singing but I continued, hitting every note right on target until the song finally ended. I smiled to myself and looked at Nick, who seemed speechless. "Nick, are you alright?" I asked and prodded his arm with my finger.

He seemed to hear me as his face turned into a smile and showed two sets of perfect white teeth. "Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just amazed by your voice. I never knew you could sing like that. That was simply amazing," he complimented me and turned his attention back onto the road. I blushed at his compliment and mumbled a 'thank you' to him.

We sat in silence again before Nick turned to me, a serious look on his well chiselled face. "Hey, Greg mentioned something to me that involved you, and I want to know if it was true or not."

That stopped my pulse dead. _Oh no, Greg told him I like him and now he's gonna reject me and tell me we can't be friends. Damn you to the fiery depths of Hell, Greg Sanders_, I thought to myself. "Sure Nick, what do you want to know?" I asked and my palms started to sweat and shake profusely.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Nate, be honest with me. Is it true that Greg, Henry nor Archie can beat you on Call of Duty at all? Cos that's what Greg told me earlier today. He said you were like the Call of Duty master."

My pulse starting going again, my palms stopped sweating and shaking and my breathing returned to normal. _Greg didn't tell Nick that I liked him. He only told him about how bad-ass I was on Call of Duty. That was a lucky escape._ "Yeah, they try and beat me, but they can't. Like you say, I'm the Call of Duty master. I once got a fifteen kill streak on a Deathmatch match before being killed myself. Those three never stand a chance against me, but they keep coming back for more. Oh, if only those children will learn to never mess with a professional," I replied and we both started to laugh again.

He finally arrived at my brother's house and I rested my hand on the car door handle. I turned to him and saw that he was leaning over the steering wheel, looking at me with that smile on his lips. "I had fun just now, Nick, thanks for the ride. I'm sure we woke up the neighbourhood on the way over here, but it was still fun."

His smile got bigger and he nodded. "I had fun too, Nate, I hope we can do it again soon," he replied. I smiled at him in return, nodded my head and got out of the car. I shut the door and turned to go into the house, but Nick's voice stopped me. "Oh Nate, try not to fall over again, OK?" he said and I rolled my eyes at him. We waved each other off and I watched the car drive down the road until it disappeared into the darkness. I stood outside for a moment, before turning around and walking into the house, a warm and fuzzy feeling building up inside of me.

As soon as I shut the front door behind me, my brother came out and when he saw me, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Nate, it's nearly one in the morning. Are you alright? I'm sorry about not waiting, but I needed to get home as I was hungry. Did you get my text alright?" he asked and I nodded.

"David, don't worry, I'm fine. I got your text and I was annoyed at it, but Nick said he would gave me a ride home and he just dropped me off not too long ago," I told him and he breathed another sigh of relief. "Look, I'm tired and I wanna go to bed, so I'll see you in the morning, OK?" I said and he nodded. I trudged up to my room, shut the door behind me, closed the window as it was far too cold in here now and took of my jacket, jeans, trainers and socks, leaving me in my Linkin Park t-shirt and boxer shorts. I crawled under the covers and, thinking back to what had happened in the past twelve, I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

**AN: Man, this chapter was long to write. Sorry if it seemed a bit too long or didn't make sense in some places but I was trying my hardest. I know Nick doesn't live in an apartment, but with the view Las Vegas offers, I had to take advantage of that. I hoped you liked this chapter as next chapter; Nick takes Nate on one of his cases, as they are short staffed, and Nate reveals his true feelings to Nick when they get to the hospital. Also, a blast from Nate's past comes into the story too. No, I am not giving anything away but you probably know who it is. Still, I'm saying nothing. Anyway, read it, review as that would be greatly appreciated. Until next, fellow readers, enjoy these three chapters and see you soon.**

Chapter 3

**AN: Well, I found out the other day why my internet went off. Someone in my village dug up 300 metres of telephone cable and took off with them. And they did it in broad daylight too, can you believe it? I think they probably wanna give their brains a jump start to remind them why they are so damn stupid. Hopefully, they'll kill themselves doing it too. I know it's harsh, but why would anybody wanna steal telephone cable. And 300 metres of it too, I mean seriously. Have these people got nothing better to do than piss off other people? Aye, aye, aye, they need to be smoking in a hospital somewhere, coated in black smoke and sizzling too, I may add. Then they'll understand why they shouldn't steal telephone cables. Anyway, sorry about my bitching, let's get back to the story. In this chapter, Nate will finally tell Nick how he feels and someone from Nate's past pays a visit. How will Nick react to Nate telling him his true feeling? Well, I'll tell you now, the case they investigate goes out with a bang. This chapter will be longer than the others, as well as being more action orientated and threatening.**

**Disclaimer: I only claim ownership of Nathan Hodges. I don't own anything CSI related. All characters and events belong to Anthony E Zuiker.**

I had persuaded Wendy and David to take back to the lab when I got up this morning and after five minutes of arguing and disagreeing, they eventually agreed. When they asked me why, I told them I wanted to catch up with everyone as I didn't have much time the other day. Actually, I really wanted to see Nick again, but why should I tell them that? What they don't know won't hurt them, as the old saying goes, right? So, we were on our way back to the lab, with Wendy and Hodges telling me about how they solved the case last night and the guy killed his girlfriend because she was stealing money from him, but it was to help her sister. Like always, he didn't believe her and grabbed a fire poker and shoved it through her throat, killing her instantly. Then he drove her to an abandoned quarry and dumped her body there, throwing the murder weapon in a dumpster on his way home. While Catherine, Sara and Greg went to find the murder weapon, Brass, Nick and Ray went to arrest the suspect. With the help of Brass' threats and 'tactical' interrogation, Mr Warner confessed to killing twenty-seven year old Alexia Eastbourne. We arrived at the lab, got out of the car and went inside. As soon as we got in, Catherine came over and greeted all three of us.

"Wendy, Hodges, we got a new case. Triple homicide at Tangiers Hotel. Two male and one female DB, pronounced dead at the scene. Murder weapon was a Glock, 22mm. both male took one to the chest, female victim raped and then shot dead, although she may have got a souvenir from her attacker. Doc found skin cells under her nails, I'll be working on them until Sara or Mandy get here. Archie is looking through video footage from the hotel to see who saw them last and if there is anything on the tapes that might link us to a proper suspect," Catherine informed them, handing them a case file to look over. While they were pre-occupied at the moment, I looked around for Greg, while keeping an eye out for my Texan god. I was hoping to catch him and thank him for not telling Nick I like him. When I couldn't see him, I turned back to the conversation. "We're a few members short. Ray is off sick, Mandy and Sara are running late due to rush hour traffic and Henry broke out with chicken pox yesterday afternoon. That means we need to work as hard as we can while doing the jobs of four other people until Mandy and Sara can get here. At the moment, Greg is testing the samples we got from possible suspects at the scene to see if they match the semen inside our female victim and he is also working on fingerprints found at the scene. Nick and Brass are interviewing the families of our victims, trying to get any information that might help us catch whoever did this." Ah, so Nick wouldn't be back for a while. I hope he's back sooner rather than later.

"Right boss, where do you want us to start?" my brother asked, eager as an early morning beaver.

Catherine handed him what seemed to be the bullets and some unknown substance. "These are the fatal bullets from each victim, marked according to the body they were found in and Doc Robbins found some strange trace in our female victim's hair. See what it is and see if the bullets match any other cases," she informed him and he saluted her.

"Right away boss, you can count on me to produce results," he told, turned on his heel and walked away. I faced palmed at the salute he did and groaned in disgust. He was also like a puppy, always wanting attention he couldn't get.

Catherine then turned to Wendy. "Wendy, I need you to find out any connection between our victims and how they are connected to the killer."

"Where would you like me to start first, Catherine?" she asked.

"Well, see what connected our victims first and see if there was any place or time they may have crossed each other. Once that's done, get to work on why the killer singled them out and how he is related to them," she replied. Wendy nodded and turned around and headed off the same way as Hodges. After rubbing her hands over her face, she turned and smiled at me. "I love seeing your face, Nathan. Always a welcome change to the familiar people we have around here," she said and we walked the opposite way to Wendy and Hodges.

"Well, it is nice to be out of the house while I'm waiting to start university. By the way, I'm sorry about Ray and Henry being off, leaving you short-staffed. I would offer my help, but I wouldn't know where to start," I joked and she put an arm around my shoulder.

She laughed and looked at me. "Believe me, if Ecklie wasn't always on my ass, you would have a place here. I think we got it covered, but thank you for the offer nonetheless."

I nodded and smiled. "Oh, by the way, do you know where Greg is? I gotta tell him something," I asked. She nodded and pointed down the hall. I looked where she was pointing and saw him. "Thank you and good luck," I called over my shoulder and walked down to the lab Greg was in. when I entered the lab, Greg had his back to me, so I walked over and wrapped my arms around him from behind.

His whole body stiffened, peeked over his shoulder and relaxed when he saw it was me. "You seem to be cheerful this morning. Anything that I should know about?" he asked and went back to looking at what appeared to be samples from the people at the scene.

I nodded against his back and squeezed him tighter. "I just wanted to thank you for not telling Nick. You know, about how I like him in that way," I explained and let go of him.

He twisted round in his chair and looked at me. "What makes you think I didn't tell him this morning?" he asked and I stiffened up this time. I looked at him and he burst into laughter. "Relax dude, I didn't tell him this morning either. I wouldn't do that to you, you know me. Besides, I'm getting jealous," he said and pretended to look envious.

I punched him in the shoulder and he winced again. "Dude, stop being such a baby, it wasn't _that_ hard a punch," I said, shook my head, and took the other swivel chair on the other side of the table.

Greg rubbed his shoulder and turned to scowl at me. "Well, if you didn't keep hitting me all the time, I wouldn't be such a baby. How can you punch that hard when you're nothing like Superman?" he asked puzzled and continued with his work. "It's kind of creepy, you do know that right? Being able to punch with no muscles?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and he seemed to shrink away. I smirked in triumph and started to type on the computer. I wonder if my parents sent me an email, asking how my flight was and stuff like that. "Dear Greg, you will never know," I answered him without taking my eyes off the screen. I clicked open my unopened emails and saw one from my mother. I read over it, seeing things like how was my flight, how my brother was treating me, how I was finding Las Vegas, you get the picture. I typed back a reply, telling her my flight was OK, my brother was treating me like I was still a newborn baby and I found Las Vegas _extremely_ interesting. I also told her I caught up with everyone at the crime lab and made some news friends in Nick and Dr Ray. I sent the email, logged off my account and turned back to Greg. "Besides, if I told you how I could punch with no muscles, where would the pleasure be in that?" I asked and smiled at him.

He looked at me in confusion and leaned back in his seat. "How do _I_ get pleasure in you punching me?"

My smile immediately dropped from my face and I banged my head on the table. I looked back up and rolled my eyes. "Not you, you fool, _me_ getting the pleasure of seeing _you_ in pain everytime I hit you. Jesus, Greg, I thought you _smart_?"

He closed his eyes, hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I _am_ smart, but even that was too confusing to understand, even for someone of my IQ," he said.

"Oh, so it's confusing for someone with an IQ of less than double figures?" I asked, knowing it would annoy him to the point where he would give up and surrender.

He looked at me and laughed sarcastically. "Very funny, I'm laughing at your joke. Ha-ha (!)," he said and went back to his work. I sniggered and I could hear the annoyance in his voice when he spoke again. "Something funny, Hodges?" he asked, using my surname instead of my forename, knowing I would take offence to it.

And I did take offence to it. Very, very much offence, I must say. I got out of my chair, walked behind and swivelled him around to face me. Then I placed my face inches from his and looked him sternly in the eyes. "First of all, never, _ever_ call me Hodges. Only my brother gets that name, got it?" I said and he nodded. "Second, your attempt at a sarcastic laugh fails on _so_ many levels, so don't do it again as you would embarrass yourself even further. And lastly, I know a move that my best friends' brother taught me back home that could shatter your shoulder with just the lightest of touches. So if you _wanna_ keep that shoulder of yours, then I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut for at least an hour, got it?" he nodded and I could see he was nervous. Just then, I smiled at him and burst into laughter. He looked confused or angered, I couldn't tell as I was laughing too hard. I ended up rolling around on the floor on account of I was laughing too much. When I finally stopped, I stood up and looked at him. "Dude, did you seriously think I meant. Wow, you really _are_ dumber than I thought, Sanders. Anyway, gotta go get some water, so peace out, sucker." With that, I went to walk out the lab, but two strong arms wrapped around my waist and next thing I knew, I was upside down with the pounding of blood rushing to my head.

I looked up, well down in my current position, and saw Greg smirking at me. "Seems like someone is in a bit of an awkward position," he commented and I was. Only it was more than awkward, it was somewhere between uncomfortable and distressing. Once Greg had gotten me upside down, he had somehow wrapped my legs around his waist and wedged them between his body and the edge of the table. I could tell as it was starting to dig into my ankles and then he grabbed my wrists and held them together with his hands. If somebody walked in now, it would look like Greg Sanders and I were in a compromising sex position. I wonder what the team would think if they saw this. Come to think of, I wouldn't like to dwell on it long. "Going to take back what you said to me earlier, _Nathan_?" he asked and pushed further back so the edge of the table really started digging into my ankles.

I looked at him and pretended to think. "How about, screw you Sanders?" I replied and he shook his head.

"Nathan, I don't think Nick would like how you're treating me. Maybe if I told him your little secret, he _might_ come to your rescue. Until then, say sorry and I'll let you go." The bastard was blackmailing me. How could someone who was as smart as him stoop to this level? Granted, Greg Sanders was good at most things, with this being one of those things. I knew I was going to lose this time, but there would be other victories.

So I gave up this time and let someone else have the point. "Fine, you win Sanders, I'm sorry for what I said. Can I get up now, please, I feel like I might throw up?" I asked and he let me up. As soon as I was up, I gave him a swift, sharp kick to the shin and he started hopping around on one foot. "Tough break, toots, but it looks like I didn't lose at all," I said and walked out of the lab to get that well-earned bottle of water.

"You may have won this time, Nathan, but Greg Sanders will be victorious next time," he yelled, like he was in a James Bond movie and laughed like a Bond villain. I looked behind me and shook my head at him. We both start to chuckle until he went back into the lab. I continued chuckling until I found a vending machine and put in the required amount of money. I pushed the button for the water I wanted which was a fruit flavoured still water, and waited until it arrived. When it did, I grabbed it, unscrewed the lid and took a long gulp. It felt refreshing going down my throat and I could taste the fruits in it. When I was finished, I screwed the lid back on and turned around, only to jump a foot in the air and drop my water. But the person kicked it back up with his foot, caught it in his hand and held it out to me.

I looked up and saw Nick standing there, a smile playing on his. "Hope I didn't scare you too much, Nate?" he asked in that gorgeous Texas accent and I shook my head. I noticed he wore a ring on the hand he was holding the water bottle in and it suited him really well. It almost looked identical to the eagle ring I had back at my brother's house. It was silver and had an eagle in the middle with banners at the top and bottom, with two sentences. The sentence at the top read "Live to ride" and the sentence at the bottom read "Ride to live".

I grabbed the bottle and waited until my heart became calm again before I spoke. "Not that much, but you could have at least said something when you were standing there," I said. "Anyway, got any information from the victim's families to help with the case?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He looked at curiously and looked down at me "How do you know about the case?" he asked.

I looked up at him and smirked, throwing the bottle up in the air catching it. "I was standing with Wendy and David when Catherine informed them about it. Apparently Dr Ray is off sick, Mandy and Sara are stuck in traffic, but they'll be at the lab now I should think and Henry has chicken pox, so you're also short-staffed as well as busy," I checked off my list and walked past him.

I heard his footsteps not far behind me and before long; we were walking side by side. I could feel the heat radiating off of him at this close proximity and it felt good. While we were walking, I took in the long sleeved black shirt he was wearing, clearly showing of his biceps and abs. I was beginning to think that I was swinging and missing here, knowing Nick would never show a romantic interest in me. I was clutching at straws here, knowing I was at a loss and it was a waste of time. Why did I ever develop a crush on him? I knew it would be stupid and reckless and just plain daft, for lack of a better word to be used there instead. "Were you eavesdropping on the conversation or did you just happen to purposely listen in while she was talking?" he accused me and I looked at him, shocked.

"Nick Stokes, are you accusing me of being a sneak? Well, I never thought someone would accuse me of something like that? How could you do that to me?" I asked, pretending to be shocked and disgusted.

He laughed at my dramatics and we both stopped outside of one of the labs. "Are you always this over-dramatic or is it some part of your personality?"

"He is always over-dramatic, so you better get used to it, Nick," another familiar voice answered him before I could. "I have the results of the sticky trace found in the female victim's hair. Think of Winnie the Pooh and you have a winner there," he quizzed and I rolled my eyes.

"Hodges, instead of actually _trying_ to turn this into a game show, just tell the man the answer he seeks, please?" I said.

Nick was sniggering at my outburst and looked at the result. "So, you found honey in the victim's hair, but how does this help us?" he asked, handing the results to me to hold.

I decided to look over them and something clicked inside of me. "Guys, the Tangiers hotel has this giant honey fountain around this time of year. You can grab oversized slices of cake, pie, cookies, anything that is sweet and dip them in. That is how the honey is connected," I said and they both stared at me. Before either of them could ask how I knew, I just answered them. "Catherine took Lindsey and I last time I was here as a day out, you know, somewhere fun and to get out of the house. I remembered it because I almost fell in when we went because I dropped one of my cookies in it. They should have given us a pair of over-sized tongs to hold them instead of using our hands."

Nick smiled at me while my brother looked confused. "You amaze more and more each day, you know that?" he said and walked away.

"Oh, I can do more than that, if you only knew," I mumbled to myself and Nick started to laugh. I looked at him and start to feel embarrassed. "Why are you laughing?" I asked.

He stopped laughing long enough to answer me. "I'm shocked that you left Hodges speechless. No-one in this lab has actually managed to do that since he came here," he replied and I shrugged my shoulders.

"You gotta know where to hit him right. If you miss or hit the wrong spot, he's keeps going. But if you find the weak spot, it takes him time to recover. I should know, we've been brothers for 21 years. I'm just as surprised as you are, if I'm honest," I told him.

He nodded and walked into the lab, taking the results off of me as he did. "If you can do _that_ to him, what else can you do to him?" he asked.

I looked at him standing in the doorway. "You make it sound like I torture him every chance I get, Nick. But if you want to know, I can make him cry too. I just kick him in the back of the knee and he goes down, sobbing like a big baby," I told him and he looked impressed.

"You're getting to be more interesting everyday Nate. I think I may need to hire you to annoy Hodges," he said and grinned at me.

"You don't need to hire me, Nick, you just need to ask and I'll do it. Anything involving violence and my brother, I'm there," I explained and Greg started talking to him. We nodded at each and he started smirking. "Greg, don't start, we've been doing it all morning nearly."

Nick gave us a strange look and turned to me. "What have you and Greg been doing all morning? I dread to think, but I want to know," he said and waited for an answer.

I looked at Sanders, who held up his hands and backed away, leaving me to answer. "Greg and I started bitching to each other about how we do things we can't do and then he thought it would be funny to hold me upside down and nearly make me sick. So, I kicked him in the shin and took off," I said and drank from my water bottle again.

Nick turned serious and looked at Greg. "Greg, man, you _never_ pick on the new kid. Even someone as cool as Nate here. You gotta learn man," he said and looked back at the paper Greg had given him.

"Oh, he learned after I kicked him in the shin, Nick. He learnt then, I hope." I smirked at him and he smirked back.

He turned back to Nick after that. "Nick, the kid punches hard and he has no muscles. I mean, serious hard-ass punches, ones that leave bruises on me," he explained and glared at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and started giggling to myself. _I left bruises on Greg Sanders. Score one for the new kid._

"I left bruises on you, Greg? Wow, I _am_ bad-ass," I said innocently and did a little dance as I walked off to use the restroom. I laughed and smiled to myself as I walked, thinking of the amount of pain, bruising and pain I had caused when I hit Greg all them times he had laughed at how nervous I was when I was around Nick. But he deserved it, no questions there. But he was right in laughing at me. Everytime Nick entered a room or I heard his rich, Texan accent, I would just freeze up or be completely deaf and dumb. But that only seemed to happen when I was around other people. I wasn't like that last night when it was just me and him in his car. When it was just us two, it was like I could open up and be myself around him. It just seemed so easy to talk to Nick when I was alone with him, but around other people, I would talk to him, but not as much. Not as much as we did last night, which was a lot, let me tell you. I entered the restroom and pitched my water bottle on the nearest sink, used a stall and washed my hands, rinsing my face as I did so. As I dried my hands and face with some paper towel in one of the pockets on the wall, I kept thinking about last night, how Nick held me when I tripped and kept one arm around my waist. There were two possible conclusions as to that gesture: the first was that it was a way of making sure I didn't fall again and he wanted to make sure I didn't, even saying he 'enjoyed bumping into me' and that it 'would be a shame' if I fell again. That was just part of the 'friends' column and had no romantic significance whatsoever. The other conclusion was that Nick _did_ feel the same way about me as I did about him, but was afraid to tell me like I was. That was filed under the 'more than friends' column and him keeping his arm around my waist was like he was keeping me close, protecting me from anything bad that would come out of the shadows.

The door to the restroom opened and Captain Jim Brass walked in. "Nathan, how you doing kid? Sorry I didn't pop by yesterday, but I was helping arrest a suspect," he explained and I nodded.

I grabbed my water bottle and leaned against the sink. "I heard from Wendy and Hodges about you 'tactical' interrogation techniques. They said he cracked and admitted to the murder. You haven't lost you touch, James, have you?" I smiled and drank from the bottle again.

He laughed and shook his head. "No, I haven't lost my touch. How you doing, Nathan? Brett still where he belongs?" he asked. Captain Brass was like another father to me; always making sure harm befell the criminals and not me. When I told him about Brett, I could see the anger in his face bursting out and the over-protective father side emerge. When I told him that Brett was in jail for good, he would make sure it stayed that way. He said he would keep in contact with the police station back home for weekly updates, which they were more than happy to give to him.

I nodded at his question and walked out the restroom door, Brass closely following. "Last time I checked he was. You hear anything while you've been calling for your usual update?" I asked.

"Still stuck in a 4x4 cell. The best place for that bastard, even if I do say so myself," he replied. See, the thing I liked about Captain Brass was that he never gave up. He was always determined to find the culprit or 'deranged demon' as he put it in his own words. In an interrogation, he would be calm and cool at first, but if they started to play around or mess with him, he would bring out the bad cop and add a layer of sarcasm to make things even more interesting. I was present during an interrogation one time and watched through the two-way mirror. Let me tell you, Brass turned out to be the star, not the suspect himself.

"I think those were the words my dad used when he was first arrested. Great minds think alike, wouldn't you say?" I said and we both laughed.

Brass stopped in the corridor and turned to me. "Well, great seeing you again Nathan, but I gotta rush. Catherine and Sara want me to help with a possible suspect. See you later, Nate," he said and waved me off before turning and walking down the corridor.

I stood in the corridor for a while before I felt a presence behind me. I smiled as I knew who it was. "See if you had done that earlier, I wouldn't have jumped like I did," I said and turned around.

Nick was standing behind me, a smile playing on his lips and his muscular arms folded across his even more muscular chest. It amazed me how I could be drawn to someone like and this and have only known them for a day and a half. "Yeah, but I like scaring you. Makes it more amusing for me and less amusing for you," he said and smirked. "I got a proposition for you. Wanna come out to a location with me that fits the description of one that's linked to the case?" He asked.

I thought he was joking at first, but then I saw that he was serious. "You can't be serious, right? What about Greg? Couldn't he go with you instead?" I asked, but he shook his head.

"Catherine asked Greg to stay here and keep her updated with the evidence, so he's a no. Then I thought about you and decided it couldn't hurt, right? So what do you say, Nate, fancy a ride out?" I could tell he was desperate to have someone come along and I was desperate to spend more time alone with him.

"Are there going to be back-up officers there in case something goes wrong?" I asked. He nodded and I looked at the floor before returning my gaze to his eyes, which looked like they were pleading. How could I say no to that? "Alright, fine, I'll go with ya. But what happens if Catherine or Brass find out?" I asked, butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the thought of Brass calling my dad and telling him I went to a crime scene without permission. I knew that wouldn't go down well with my mother, I knew that from the time I broke one of her priceless china plates while I was playing baseball with my dad and brother. She grounded _all_ of us for a whole month. What a joy that was, let me tell you.

Nick put his hands on my shoulder and I looked up at him. "If it _does_ happen, I'll take the full responsibility and blame for it. You have nothing to worry about, dude," he said and smiled that heart-breaking, tear-jerking smile at me.

What I did next took both of us by surprise. I flung both my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. I could feel him stiffen up at the close contact. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are my hero, you know that Nick?" I said and nestled further into his shoulder.

Instead of rejecting me or backing away like I thought he would, Nick wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tight. "Your welcome, but you owe me now," he whispered in my ear and I jerked away from him.

"Like hell, I do, mate. I owe you nothing, considering I'm not even a _real_ CSI. So therefore, I owe you a big fat load of zero, zilch, nothing." I made my point to him there and then and he seemed to take it in his stride.

He nodded and we walked down the corridor. "Look, I'll go ready, get the back-up and meet you outside in the parking lot in five minutes, OK?"

I nodded at his request. "Five minutes, no later, got it?" I warned and walked off.

I didn't get two feet before his voice stopped me again. "By the way, nice call on the honey fountain, Nate. Manager of the Tangiers recognised the victims as being guests there and they attended the event the night they died. You might make a good CSI, if you decided to take that career."

I smiled and blushed at his praise and grinned. "Thanks Nick, it was just a spur of the moment thing anyway. But your welcome, nonetheless," I replied and walked off again. I grabbed my jacket from the lab I had been in with Greg before and walked out of the lab, over to where Nick's car was parked. I leaned against the door and put on the sunglasses I remembered to bring with me as the weather report said it was to be sunny all week. And they had been right two days in a row. If it got to at least four days, then it would be sunny all week. I had decided to wear a light wearing jacket, light coloured Linkin Park t-shirt with the cover of their third album on it, and a pair of dark coloured jeans. To top it off, I had pulled on my favourite pair of Airwalk trainers, black with red laces. I had only been leaning against the car for at least a minute before Nick came over with two sets of police officers. I had to do a double take on what he was wearing. How anyone could wear black in this weather is beyond me? Nick was clad in a black shirt, black jumper, black leather jacket, black jeans and black gloves, complete with black boots, cap and sunglasses. I also noticed the gun he kept in his holster, which was silver instead of black. He carries a silver gun, but dresses in black on a hot day? I think I will never really know Nick Stokes. "That was quick. You must have been scared of my warning," I said, without enthusiasm I might add, and got into the truck when he unlocked it with the keypad.

He walked around the other side and got into the driver's seat, fastening his seatbelt and started the car. "Yeah, your warning was very threatening. It made me scared," he replied, though I could detect a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I was scared you would hit me like you did Greg."

I rolled my eyes and rolled down the window. "Newsflash, Nick, if you're gonna use sarcasm, at least use it right," I told him. He laughed at my complaint, pulled out of the space and drove out of the parking lot, followed closely by the back-up officers he had recruited for the day. We then pulled out onto the highway and then a deserted road. According to Greg, the drive to the scene would take approximately an hour and twenty minutes. After about half an hour, I became uncomfortable and propped my feet up on the dashboard.

I was met with a few angry taps on my legs from Nick. "Shoes off my car, now," he commanded.

I rolled my eyes, and literally took my shoes off, throwing them onto the floor, revealing my socks to the world. I was wearing red socks that had a picture of someone on them, with the caption, "Moody teenager, do not disturb!" I turned and looked at him. "There, no shoes anywhere on your precious car. Are you happy now, Vin Diesel?" I asked, quite sarcastically.

Nick looked at me, then my shoes on the floor and then back at me. He then looked at the road and let out a small laugh. "You know, I'll never understand why people take their shoes off when drivers ask them too," he said

"And I'll never understand how some people can wear black and try to pass themselves off as the Terminator in this kind of weather," I retorted.

He looked at me and nodded. "Touché, Nate, I guess we're even now," he said and briefly looked out the corner of his eyes. "Nice socks, by the way," he commented, causing me to hit him while he laughed. I scowled at him until I burst into laughter too. "Hey, I got you to laugh. Not _that_ is _my_ greatest achievement, if I do say so myself. Your laugh is the most beautiful sound I could ever hear."

I blushed at that and turned to look out at the desert landscape, in order for the blush to subside. I took off my sunglasses and stuck them in my pocket. Out of another pocket, I produced my iPod, along with the wire that you can plug into the cigarette lighter. "Do you mind if I put some music on?" I asked, motioning to my iPod.

"No, go ahead," he replied, pulling out the covering.

I put one end of the wire into the cigarette lighter and the other end into the bottom of the iPod. I then looked through the albums I had on until I found the one I was looking for. I turned the volume up to full and placed it on the dashboard, propping my feet up again. The sound of Latin music and Jennifer Lopez' voice filled the truck as we drove. "Look, it may not be Linkin Park, but I haven't listened to it since I got it. I got it before I moved here and didn't get a chance to listen. So before you start bitching to me about it, just give it a chance, OK?" I said and looked at him.

He seemed to be contemplating it for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll give JLO a shot. Who knows, I might like her, even though I've never really listened to her before."

That made me smile to myself. Nick was giving my other music tastes a chance. This might be another step closer to being more than friends. We were hanging out, listening to Jennifer Lopez and riding to a location together. After another fifteen minutes, I knew I had to know the answer to the question that had been on mind since we left. "Nick," I started and turned to him. "Why _did_ you bring me along with you? And I want the truth, too."

I saw him tightened his grip on the steering wheel and breath out deeply. "Look, the reason I brought you out here was because I didn't want you to be stuck there with nothing to do and I wanted to spend more time with you. You know, get to know you a bit more and dig up some more info. There, that the answer you looking for?"

I didn't need a better answer than that one. That answer was the one I was hoping he would say. "Really, you want to spend more time with me? But why, Nick, what's interesting about me?" Besides the fact I have a crazy ex who wants to beat me to death because I dumped him and put him in jail.

Nick then didn't something I would never have expected him to do: he reached across the space between our seats and took my hands in his. I instinctively wrapped my fingers around his hand and he squeezed. I could feel the cold leather around the fingers contrast with the warm cotton that made up the rest of the glove. They sort of balanced each other out in a way. "Yes, I do because there's something about you I want to figure out. Something that you're not telling me," he said and smiled at me again.

_If only you knew my deep, dark secret, Nick. I wish I could tell you, but I'm afraid it might backfire and deliver fatal consequences._ I gulped silently and smiled at him. "Trust me; it isn't worth shedding you mind over. I just messed up when I was in my teens and a lot of really bad shit went down, but that was in the past. And I hope to keep it as that," I told him, but he didn't seem to buy it.

He squeezed my hand again and then let go. "Oh, I'll find out what it is, you can count on that," he remarked and continued driving.

I thought for a moment about what Nick and had said and prayed he wouldn't find out about my violent past before turning and looking out at the desert again. All through that little speech we made, the fourth track on the album _(What is) Love?_ was playing and the lyrics were reflecting what was going on with me. Throughout the song, JLO was talking and singing about what the true meaning of love was and what is was in general. I knew how she felt. I felt confused and disorientated by everything that was happening. What with me trying to get over Brett and dealing with my emotions and feelings for Nick now, it was like I was being pulled in two different directions. I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to ask anyone for help, knowing it would be against departmental policy. Then again I didn't actually _work_ at the lab so maybe IA would overlook it and Nick and I could be allowed to be together. If it did happen, I'm sure everyone would defend us and help us develop it. After what seemed like hours, Nick pulled off again and the truck jerked to a stop. I looked out the front windshield and saw what had to be the location we were supposed to be investigating. It was nothing more than a dilapidated old farmhouse and silo that looked like it hadn't been used in a while. I heard Nick's car door open and shut and then his footsteps before he appeared in my vision.

I was about to get out too, but he laid his hand on the door. "I think it would be best if you stayed in the car. I don't want you getting hurt or killed if something goes wrong," he said, taking of his glasses and I saw the look of protection and security in his eyes. He _was_ concerned for me and we both knew it.

I nodded and close the door again. "Look, if I'm gonna stay out here, can I at least go and lie down on the bonnet, please? It's _far_ too hot in here and it seems cooler outside. I promise I won't touch anything or damage the car in any way," I pleaded and started to bounce in my seat.

Nick looked around and finally nodded. "OK, yeah, that's alright. But two of these officers are going to stay here and guard the perimeter. You know, in case the suspect returns."

The grin dropped from my face and was replaced by a scowl. "Really Nick, you're getting the Mrs Doubtfire twins to babysit me? Jesus Christ Nick, I'm twenty-one, not twelve," I moaned and leaned against the seat.

"Look, just do this Nate, please. I don't want anyone, especially Catherine and Hodges, riding my ass if you get killed." This time, _he_ was pleading.

I decided it would be best _not_ to argue with Nick as I would not win in this kind of situation. "OK, fine, you win. I'll have the Mary Poppins sisters look out for me and keep an eye on the perimeter."

Nick smiled and opened the door for me. I put my shoes back on and climbed out, using Nick's hand to steady me. "Now, if something _does_ go bad, I want you to give three blasts on the horn, alright?"

What happens if you don't hear them?" I asked.

"Oh, we'll hear them alright," he replied and grinned.

I looked at him and scoffed. "Yeah, I've heard _that_ before. Anyway, which kind, three long blasts or three short, sharp blasts?" I asked.

"Well, I think long blasts in case you see the suspect and short blasts for anything you spot that doesn't belong here," he replied and I nodded.

"OK, so long for suspect and short for evidence, correct?" I asked for clarification.

Nick nodded and I hopped up onto the bonnet of the truck. "Correct, you're learning fast, aren't ya?" he joked and ruffled my hair. I pushed his hand away and propped my right leg up. Nick seemed to be contemplating something for a moment until he took his cap off, revealing that gorgeous brown hair of his, and placed it on my head. "Don't want you getting sunburn now, do we?" he said and smiled at me.

I smiled back and pulled the brim further over my face. I heard Nick start to walk away and quickly grabbed his arm. He turned and looked at me, thinking there was something wrong. "Is it alright if I leave my music playing?" I asked sheepishly and he sighed with relief.

"Yeah, but don't play it too loud. Don't wanna attract any unnecessary attention," he replied and a huge grin broke out across my face.

He went to walk away again. "Nick," I called out to him. He looked at me again and I told him, in a quiet but concerned voice, "Be careful in there, for my sake, will ya?" I asked. He nodded, gave a scout's honour signal and took off again, the other two police officers in tow behind him. I saw them enter the farmhouse and disappear from sight. I reached into the truck and grabbed my iPod, bringing it out and resting it on the bonnet next to me. I then skipped back to the track _(What is) Love?_ and played it again, listening carefully to the lyrics and deducting the meaning of them. I propped my leg up again and folded my hands across my stomach, tapping my fingers to the beat of the song. After a while, I took off my jacket and folded it behind me, creating a make-shift pillow for my head. I leaned back against my jacket and pulled the brim down over my eyes again, shielding them from the intense rays of the sun. I don't know why, but the track was starting to become my favourite off the album so far, so I kept replaying it over and over again, at a volume loud enough for me to hear and quiet enough as not to distract the officers that had stayed behind, just so they could keep an ear out for any unusual noises. After I had listened to the song about seven or eight times, I had managed to grasp and memorise the lyrics and started to sing along with JLO, somehow enjoying myself even though there was a suspect on the loose and could return at any moment. There's nothing to worry about, is there? Well, I hope not.

Just then, Nick's voice sounded on the portable radio the officers carried, signalling for help in moving something. They said they would offer their services and one of them looked at me. "Stay here and blast the horn like Officer Stokes said. We'll be back soon." And with that, they took off into the farmhouse, leaving me outside on my own.

I had to be honest, right there and then that I was absolutely terrified. Well, wouldn't you be if some crazed nut job was running around after committing a triple homicide, leaving behind very little evidence and was apparently returning to his last known location? I tried not the think about how I could end being a victim myself and settled back down onto my jacket, taking in the song again and closing my mind off to the world. After ten minutes of replaying the same song over and over again, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. That's when it hit me: my brother must have found out I was out here instead of in the lab. I slowly pulled out my Samsung Galaxy S2 touch-screen phone, terrified I would see Hodges' number. But when I looked at the number and saw it was unfamiliar, I thought it must be a wrong call. I decided to answer it anyway and hit the 'answer' button, holding the phone to my ear. "Hello, who is this?" I asked. When the voice answered, it caused my heart to stop dead, my blood to run cold and my breathing to catch in my throat.

"_Now what would your brother say if he found out you were with that CSI instead of sitting in the lab like a good little boy, huh?"_ it replied.

No, this can't be happening. He isn't supposed to contact me. He isn't even supposed to _have_ a phone, let alone be using one. I sat up suddenly, pushing the brim of the cap back and the music seemed to drown out and become background noise. "How did you get this number, Brett?" I asked and clenched my teeth, hoping it would disguise the fear and dread that had built up.

He laughed that sinister trademark laugh and sighed. _"Nate, Nate, Nate, always asking the most stupid questions. Your number is the most memorable, if I'm honest. I memorised it before you sent me away, in case I wanted to call you. But I wasn't because you specifically asked for them to not let me contact you."_

I could feel my breathing becoming shallower by the second and my blood to pump slower than ever. "How did you get hold of a phone then? Beat up somebody else in order to get it?"

He laughed again, this time he nearly roared while he laughed. _"No, I ordered it and had it sent out to me by a dear friend of mine who also happens to be a prison warden. How's that for a coincidence, eh? A pretty good one, I think,"_ he replied and I could hear the evil in his voice.

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and they threatened to spill over, but I wasn't going to give that monster the satisfaction of scaring me. "Well, you may have a phone, but at least you're _still_ behind bars in a 4x4 cell where you belong," I told him and smirked triumphantly.

I could hear him scoff lightly and sighed_. "Oh dear little Nate, you are still as naïve as ever. See, the thing is I'm not in that cell. I'm not even in the prison itself,"_ he replied and my whole body just froze up.

"What are you talking about? They wouldn't let you out, not after what you did to me three years ago." I knew I was going to regret answering the call. _Hang up now, Nathan; it's the most obvious solution. Just end the call and never answer it again until you know for sure _he _isn't the one on the other end._

"_I got out just the other day. And not for good behaviour either,"_ he replied as coolly as he could, which was easy for him, seeing as how he _was_ a quarterback.

Me, on the other, I was scared out of mind. I was speechless, like my throat had closed up and no words were allowed to escape my mouth. When I finally found my voice, it was full of fear and I knew Brett would hear it. "What do you want from me, Brett?" I could feel a tear roll down my cheek, quickly followed by another one and then another one.

He laughed again, but this time it sounded collected and calm. _"Nate, what I want is to see you again one last time. Before I skin you alive and then stuff and mount you on my wall like a fucking trophy animal!" _he screamed into the phone. A terrified sob escaped my mouth and he laughed again. _"Ah, _that_ hit a nerve spot, didn't it? You scared yet, _JLO?_"_ he asked and I immediately hung up.

This couldn't be happening. It had to be a dream. I knew I would wake up and see it was a nightmare. Only I didn't wake up. I _couldn't_ wake up because it had really happened. Brett had called me and scared me stiff. Everything seemed to rush back at once: the wind whistling from the desert, the heat of the sun beating down on me, the sound of JLO singing filling my ears. It all came back at once and I realised I had tuned out everything around me when Brett had called. I grabbed my jacket, unplugged my iPod, causing the radio to start playing, and shoved it and the wire into my pocket and hopped off the bonnet. I jumped into the cab and rolled up the windows, locking the doors with the keypad, seeing as how Nick had left the keys in the ignition. I put my jacket on, zipped it up all the way and pulled my hood over my head. I then pulled the brim of the cap down until it hid my face from view and huddled up in the seat, terrified he might appear outside the truck. I dared myself to look up and when I looked out the front windshield, I saw a figure in the distance. When I saw a flash of light reflect off whatever it was he was holding, I realised that he had to be heading this way. I knew it wasn't Brett as he didn't know where I was, so it had to be the suspect Nick was looking for. I grabbed the keys and unlocked the truck. I hopped out of the cab, with the keys in my hand, and sprinted towards the farmhouse as fast as I could. I was told to give three blasts to alert them but I was too scared they wouldn't arrive in time. I ran through the open door and shut it behind me, resting my forehead against the door for a while, letting the tears spill out and roll down my face. I sank to my knees and sobbed loudly, not caring if Nick or one of the back-up officers found me like this.

Suddenly, a hand came down on my shoulder, causing me to scream and I started fighting the person behind me. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down Nate. It's just me," Nick's strong Texan voice said and I relaxed immediately.

I looked into his eyes and I just threw myself at him again. "Nick, he's out there. I saw him heading this way," I told him through my panicked sobs.

He comforted me and shushed me smoothly. "Who is out there, Nate? Who did you see?" he asked and pushed back to look me in the eyes.

I looked back at him and managed to stop crying long enough to answer him. "The suspect you're looking for," I replied and he pulled me into him again, signalling the officers to go outside and check around. "I was just sitting in the cab and I saw him heading this way. I saw a flash and thought I was going to die, so I ran in here. I'm sorry about not blasting the horn but I thought you wouldn't get here in time," I explained and grabbed a handful of his jacket with both my hands. "I was just scared that he would get me before you came back." I could feel the tears rolling down my face and onto his jacket, but I doubted he cared.

"Hey, it's alright, he's probably gone by now. He may have run off when he saw you run in here. Come on, it'll be safe now," he said soothingly and we both stood up, me being supported by him. I felt useless and stupid being led like a child, but I just couldn't walk on my own. What with being taunted by Brett and then fearing for my life because of the suspect, I just needed Nick's arms around me at this moment. When we got outside, I leaned against the door and told him I was alright now. He nodded and went to meet up with the officers. I couldn't believe what had happened. It seemed like they linked up somehow: after Brett had threatened to kill, the suspect showed up after that. It was such a weird coincidence; it was like it was planned out. But why did I tell Nick I was crying because of the figure and not Brett calling me? It was like he would believe it more if I was crying about the suspect rather than me randomly blurting out everything about my violent ex-boyfriend. If I did that, he would accuse me of keeping a secret from him and I didn't want that. I wanted be open and honest with him, but I didn't want to reveal my past to him. I would one day, but when the time was right. I looked over to where Nick and the officers stood and he motioned for me to come over, indicating we were done for the day. It seemed like he did run away and they found nothing much to indicate where he went. I breathed deeply again and use my foot to push me off the door, then I started walking over to the group. I hadn't gotten fifteen feet when a huge explosion tore through the farmhouse and silo, ripping it apart and sending me flying forward into the dust. I covered my head as wood and debris crashed down onto the ground around me, while some even hit me and I could feel it breaking something, most likely a rib. As soon as the rubble stopped flying in all directions and the dust cleared, I raised my head and saw that there was nothing left of either the farmhouse or silo, just an enormous fire that was sending black smoke swirling up into the air. It seemed like someone had rigged the place to blow while we were still inside. I was lucky I had walked away from it when I did, otherwise I would have been blown apart myself. I started coughing quite aggressively and put my hand to my head. I felt something warm leaking from underneath my hair and when I looked at my hand, I saw that I was bleeding.

I heard footsteps running over to my position and someone kneel next to me. "Nate, are you alright?" Nick asked anxiously and turned me to face him. As soon as he saw the blood, the colour drained from his face. "Get an ambulance, he's injured!" he yelled to the officers and turned his attention back on me. I coughed again and Nick held me close again, rubbing my back and soothing me. "Nate, the ambulance is on its way. Just breath and try to hang on," he told me and I nodded, thought it hurt my head when I did nod.

Suddenly, I laid my head on his chest and passed out instantly. When I awoke later, I was greeted with the steady, rhythmic beating of a heart monitor machine and a pounding in my head. I looked around and was blinded by a bright light. As soon as I could see again, I noticed Hodges and Wendy sitting by my bed, minus everyone else. I then looked down and saw I was wearing a hospital gown, meaning I was in a hospital. My mind immediately knew Nick was getting wrong for taking me out with him, probably from Jim and Catherine. Well, he's taking the blame for it, like he said he would. But I knew I was in trouble from Hodges mostly, due to the fact he had a really angry look on his face.

And boy was I right. "What the hell were you thinking, Nathan?" he yelled and Wendy had to quiet him down. "You could have been killed, you know that right? I know Nick was with you and I'm glad he was, but if you had died, I would have felt responsible and mum and dad would be upset with me."

I looked away from him and managed to stop the tears overflowing before he saw me. "I know and I'm sorry. I guess being reckless and stupid is in my DNA. I'm not _you_, David. I'm not obedient or loyal to the rules. I _wanted_ to go, so don't give Nick all the blame. Put some on me as I agreed to it and I knew what the consequences would be." I groaned and it fell silent for a few minutes.

Wendy was the next to speak. "Look, Hodges, don't blame him. He just wanted to get out of the lab for one day. Is it too much for him to ask for that? He can't be kept under surveillance 24/7. He needs to get out and see the world," she said and grabbed his hand, squeezing it and he looked at her.

He sighed in defeat and nodded. "Alright, I guess he did seem bored and had nothing to do," he told her and turned to me. "Next time you go out, let me know and I'll call to ask for updates instead of worrying like I did."

I gulped and looked at them. "Well, you're gonna worry now, guys," I told them and they looked at me with confusion.

"What do you mean, 'we're going to be worried?'" Wendy asked.

I took a deep breath and decided it was time to open up. "Brett called me while I was staying in the car. He told me he's out of prison, says a friend of his who 'works' there helped him. He even got him to deliver a phone to him and he told me I would be skinned alive and mounted like a trophy on his wall," I said and soon, I felt the tears start to roll down my eyes and before I knew it, I was sobbing uncontrollably again.

David put his hand over mine while Wendy came and sat on the bed and hugged me. "Nate, he's not supposed to contact you. How could the police not have known it was a phone? Did he tell you how he actually got out?" she asked, concerned for my safety.

I shook my head and licked my lips. "All he said was he got out the other day and was coming for me. Guys, I was scared out of my mind. When he threatened to kill me, I just froze. I never should have answered that call," I sobbed in Wendy's arms and wrapped my arms around her waist.

Hodges stood up and rubbed a hand over his face. "We gotta tell, Brass. He'll know what to do," he said and walked out of my room.

Wendy looked at me and smiled. "I'll go with him. You alright now?" she asked and I nodded. She kissed me on the head and walked out after Hodges.

I wiped my hands over my eyes and lay back against the pillow. _This is a nightmare. Why did I answer that call and give him more ammunition to fire off at me? This is the worst day of my life. I thought I was free from him for the last few weeks and now I've been targeted by him. Why is my life so fucked up? _I knew I would have to deal with this sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to happen _now_. He was only in a cell for three weeks and now he's out. I was assured it would be at least ten years before he was set free. And when that happened, every trace of me would have been erased from his mind and I would be happy and living in Las Vegas, with my brother and friends. Living together with Nick, maybe in his apartment and we could be married. It was a long shot, but you can't blame me for dreaming. I thought back to the line of _(What is) Love?_ that seemed to best reflect my life at the moment: _"What if/ I never find/ and I'm left behind?"_ When I remembered that line, that one specific line that mirrored my life at the present time, it made me realise that even if Nick and I didn't become a couple, all that crushing that I had on him would have been for nothing and I had wasted my time on him. I would have to just make do with being friends with him and I wanted to be more than that.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. I looked up and my heart started running faster than a jet plane. Nick was stood there wearing the gear he wore earlier today, minus the gloves as I spotted them in his back pocket, standing in the doorway, that million dollar smile on his face. "Hey, you look great, how you feeling?" he asked and sat on the chair Hodges had previously occupied not five minutes ago.

I smiled at him and sat up a bit in the bed. "I'm great, thanks for being there for me," I replied and he shrugged modestly at my response.

"It's what I do, after all. I help people when they need it. And you needed it at that time," he told me and grabbed my hand. The electricity we gave off was more than it was the first time we met. It was like everytime we hung out with each other, the spark seemed to grow and grow until it would explode.

I smiled at him and gulped. "How wrong _did_ you get off Brass and Catherine?" I asked curiously.

He sighed and shook his head, still holding onto my hand. "Brass was pissed at me more than Catherine was, to be blunt. She just added her thought every now and then, but it was mostly Brass who undressed me. God, I'm sorry Nate, I shouldn't have asked you," he said and the guilt was clear in his voice.

I squeezed his hand and he looked at me. "Nick, I should take some of the blame myself. I said yes to it so it's more my fault than yours, really. I shouldn't have accepted but I just wanted to get out of the lab for one day and see what life outside the evidence analysis was," I explained.

He shook his head and smiled at me. "Why drag you under the surface further than I already did when I knew it would cause you to drown?"

My heart seemed to skip a beat at his words. "That was almost poetic, Nick. I never knew you were that caring" I told him and he laughed.

"That's because I do, Nate. I care about you a lot," he said and I sharply turned my head in his direction.

When I looked at his face, I saw he wasn't joking. "You not really being serious are you Nick? You jut met me two days ago. How could you care about me a lot?" I was _definitely_ confused now.

He took a deep breath and then sat on the edge of the bed, still keeping a firm grip on my hand and not taking his eyes off mine. "I care about you because you're Hodges' brother and you need _someone_ to look out for you, just like he does. I know about you, Nate. I know you were bullied because of coming out. I don't care about that you're gay, Nate, because we joked, we talked, we like the same things. But I just can't figure out what you're hiding. There's something you're not telling me and I wanna know, but you won't open up to me. You can tell me, Nate. You can trust me with anything," he said.

I was speechless for a few minutes before I could actually speak. "Nick, I want to tell you but I can't because I have to deal with it myself. If I involve you, it could turn ugly. And I don't want you to be involved. I got into this mess and I'll get out of it on my own. So please stop worrying about me and just focus on yourself."

He sighed in defeat and let go of my hand. I wanted to tell him, but I was afraid of being rejected. Yes, I was going to tell him about my feelings for him, not about my abusive ex-boyfriend. "Well, if you won't open up to me, I guess I should stop trying to get you to tell me," he said and got off the bed. "Nate, you don't need to be embarrassed about anything. I can take it, but if I don't know what you're hiding then it's pointless me being of any use."

"Nick, I can't tell you because you won't be able to do anything about it. I brought it on myself and you can't help me with it," I told him.

He scoffed and rubbed a hand over his face. "See, this is why I don't know what to do because you won't tell me. I'm trying to be a friend here and get you to open up to me, reveal what it is you're keeping secret but you won't. What is there that you're this embarrassed about telling me?" he asked and stared at me for a what seemed liked a long minute before he gave up and turned to walk out of my room.

I knew I wouldn't get another chance to tell him so I blurted it out, right there in the hospital for all the staff to hear. "Because I love you, Nick."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to me slowly, a look of both confusion and shock on his face. "What did you just say to me?" he asked and walked back into my room, sitting on the bed again. Only this time, he sat closer to me.

I propped my legs up and rested my arms on them. I leaned forward and rested my head on my arms and breathed deeply before looking back into his eyes. "I love you, Nick. I wanted to tell you before but I was afraid of what you might say. That's what I've been keeping secret from you. I didn't know if you felt the same way about me or not, but when I first looked into your eyes that day we met, I was hooked from that moment. Then when you held me in your arms or we stood in the same room as each other, it just got even more complicated. I tried to convince myself it was a passing phase, but every moment alone I spent with you Nick, the more I fell in love with you. I understand if you reject me, but I just wanted to let you know how I felt and what the big secret you've been trying to figure out of me was." After I finished explaining to him what he wanted to know, I looked at him and waited for him to walk out the room.

Instead he looked at me and his face softened. Then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into another hug and not one of his familiar friendly hugs either. It was a hug that was mixed with protection, forgiveness and affection. I felt him smile and he pulled me into his lap. I was surprised at his reaction but I grabbed two handfuls of his jacket and nestled myself into his chest, closing my eyes at the softness of his embrace. He nestled his cheek into my hair and squeezed me tighter. We stayed in that position for a while before we pulled back and he held me at arms length. "I'm so glad you told me Nate, because I love you too."

My heart did huge somersaults in my chest and I almost cried. "What did you say to me?" I asked, mirroring the same question he had asked me earlier.

"When I saw you that day, you were always on my mind and I thought it wouldn't work as Hodges told you broke up with someone weeks before you came here and told me it would be a while before you could movie onto someone else. But I just wanted to get to know you more, so I found ways of doing it. Now I know how you feel about me, I can do this without being afraid or embarrassed."

And with that, he bent his head down to my level and placed his lips on mine. As soon as that happened, it was like fireworks started exploding inside my head and I automatically started playing _(What is) Love?_ in my mind, knowing this was the perfect moment for the song to come in. The mood was set and my wildest fantasies were coming true. I opened up to Nick and told him I loved him and he responded by telling me he loved me. This was what I was waiting for. Being friends with Nick was great, but he must have been restraining himself too, like I did but we both couldn't resist the temptations any longer. His grip tightened around my waist and I wrapped my arms around my neck. Our lips moved in synch with each other and they were warm against mine. I was happy Nick felt the same way about me as I did about him and now I could replay this moment, this one special moment, over in my head for the rest of my life. I fisted my hands into his hair and pulled him closer to me, to which obligated without argument. He pulled me closer to him until we practically melted to each other and became one whole person. After what seemed liked ages, we finished the kiss and Nick rested his forehead against mine, keeping his arms wrapped around my waist and I kept my arms around his neck. We looked into each others eyes and caught our breaths. He smiled at me and kissed me on the lips again, this time a light peck. "Nathan Hodges, you are the best thing that has come into my life," he told me and I felt warm and fuzzy inside.

"And you are the best thing to happen to me, Nick Stokes," I responded and rested my head against his shoulder, placing my hands on his chest, snuggling into him further. He then placed his chin on my head and wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me into him. "I love you, Nick," I whispered and I could feel him smile.

He planted a gentle kiss in my hair and his lips lingered there for a moment. "I love you too, Nate," he replied and I could feel his lips move in my hair.

"I didn't even know you _were_ gay, Nick. I thought you liked women," I observed and he smiled again.

"I've been gay for a while now and everytime I end up with a woman, someone else gets hurt because of it. So I thought that by switching to men, it would be better, but I couldn't find the right guy," he explained.

I smiled and laughed. "Until I came to Las Vegas, that is."

He nodded and laughed too. "That's right, until you came to Las Vegas."

From that moment on, I knew that, even though I was scared and feared for my life that Brett Hauser was going to come and kill me, I would be safe with Nick and the Las Vegas crime lab behind me. Brett could try all he wanted to come and get me, but he wouldn't get two feet through the door before Brass had him arrested. But until that day arrived, the day when Brett Hauser arrived to claim me, I would just enjoy life as it came to me. And to start off, the first that I would be focusing on was my new relationship with CSI Level 3 Nick Stokes.

**AN: Well, there's another chapter done for you all. This is the longest chapter so far, at almost eleven pages long. When I was writing this, I kept replaying **_**(What is) Love?**_** by JLO over and over again as that song was actually the inspiration for this chapter. I really enjoyed writing all the fluff material between Nick and Nate and I think they make a cute couple, wouldn't you agree? I don't know if I rushed Nate and Nick revealing their feelings for each other, but I just couldn't leave it any longer. Did you guess it was going to be Brett who would pop up or were you shocked? I bet you knew, but still liked it all the same. When I was writing the phone call between Nate and Brett, I actually based it around the Drew Barrymore phone call from 'Scream' as it fitted rather well into the story. Don't worry, you **_**will**_** see what Brett looks like from a photo in one of the later chapters and Nate will reveal his past to Nick too. In chapter four, it will be the start of three things for Nate:**

**His new relationship with Nick and telling everyone about it**

**His first time at Las Vegas university**

**His new life in Las Vegas**

**I have decided that the first time Nick and Nate have sex will be in chapter 8, which is when Nate moves in with Nick. If it doesn't sound right or it sounds like I rushed the affectionate gestures between Nate and Nick in this chapter, I'm sorry but I wanted to write it like that. Also, I hoped you liked the life-threatening explosion I put and the paranoia that Nate has developed. I must warn all of you that it will grown worse, along with the violence, disturbing material and threats that Brett makes.**

**Anyway, I will probably keep continuing this but it depends on if I want to wait until I post these other chapters first as soon as my internet returns. I hope the reviews get stronger as you read each chapter. I think I'll wait and post these four chapters before I continue writing. I hope you enjoy this story and I'll see you next time. **


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